Not So Perfect
by FadingHope11
Summary: COMPLETE! Between boys, dances, and a competition, Ginny is overwhelmed. When everyone's trying to force her to be someone she's not, Ginny finds comfort and trouble, of course, in the arms of an unlikely Slytherin. Who knew 6th year was this crazy?
1. In Over My Head

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters...yes, that's all.

**A/N:** This is my first fanfic! Please be nice, and I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 1: In Over My Head 

Ginny gazed longingly out the window from her seat in the back of the Charms classroom. The trees were turning slightly in color as fall hit Hogwarts, and everything looked so peaceful. Ginny had been at Hogwarts for nearly a month now, and she was already beginning to feel the strain. She loved being at Hogwarts; it was the single greatest place on earth, in her opinion. But her sixth year was going to be far more difficult than any other year. She would be taking her NEWTs the following year so her professors were dumping loads of homework on her and her fellow classmates so they'd be ready by that time.

Professor Flitwick was bustling around the spacious classroom making sure that everyone could do the new spell he had just taught them: Evanesco. This complicated charm caused the object the spell was directed at to vanish. Each table had been given a box of small cushions and told to begin. When Ginny had first tried the spell she had concentrated hard for three minutes. She had cleared her mind and stared at the small cushion in front of her. She muttered the incantation less than a dozen times before she got it down perfectly. After that Ginny leaned back in her chair and turned her attention back to the window. The day was perfect, and she longed to spend the afternoon outside. Unfortunately, her usual mound of homework was keeping her indoors in the cramped common room.

"Hmm, hmm." Someone cleared their throat from behind her.

Ginny turned around to see Professor Flitwick standing expectantly and waiting for her. The whole class was silent and watching her with expectation as well. How long he had been waiting there until he cleared his throat Ginny didn't know, but she quietly picked up another cushion, muttered the incantation and flicked her wrist. The whole class gasped as Ginny's cushion disappeared, like she knew it would. It seemed to Ginny that no one else had successfully made their cushion fully disappear. Flitwick just looked at her and then moved on to the next table.

The class passed by slowly and Ginny was pretty sure she had dozed off more than once, but finally it was over. She grabbed her bag and books and bolted out into the corridor. Ginny turned the corner and ran smack into someone.

"Ah!" she squeaked while her books, bag, and self went sprawling to the floor.

"Weasley!" the other someone shouted.

Ginny turned and saw Draco Malfoy glaring at her from a spot on the floor next to her. He hastily picked himself up, all the while still glaring at her.

"Watch it next time!" he snarled as he moved on his way.

Ginny sighed and started collecting her things. _Why can't I ever stand up for myself _she wondered. _It's not like I meant to run into the jerk._ Sighing again, Ginny went on her way and spent the rest of the day, like every other day she had spent: dozing off in class, being detached, and not really caring about anything or anyone.

Back in the common room, Ginny sat alone in a corner doing her homework.

"Hey, Gin!" Hermione said as she approached the red head. Following her was Harry and Ron.

"Hey, Gin!" they said in unison as well.

"Hi guys," Ginny said with a little less enthusiasm than they had showed her. She turned her attention back to her work and ignored the looks the trio exchanged amongst themselves.

"Well," Harry started, "we were just wondering how you were doing."

"I'm good, thanks." Ginny said without looking up at them.

"Gin," her brother began but stopped because he didn't know quite what to say. There was an awkward pause when the three of them looked at one another again, while Ginny just kept on working.

"What they're trying to say, Ginny," Hermione said, coming to the rescue, "is that we're worried about you."

Ginny sighed. _Here it comes_ she thought.

"You never do anything but work, you're always somewhere off alone, and you're just so detached!" Hermione finished dramatically.

"Guys," Ginny began, saying the rehearsed excuse she told them every so often when they cared enough about her to actually pay her some attention. "I'm fine. You remember your sixth year, right? It's crazy, and it's just beginning for me. I'm just really focusing on doing my work and making sure I learn everything I need to know from my NEWTs next year."

This explanation always worked with them. Their usual relieved expressions washed over their faces and they smiled and said their goodbyes. This part was the worst for Ginny. She screamed on the inside as they turned their backs on her and left her in the ever-growing shadows. They never saw what was really there, never heard what she was really saying. They never knew that she needed their help…anyone's help. She was slipping and no one ever noticed.

She gathered her things quietly and tip toed out of the room where her sleeping classmates dreamt peacefully. Out through the portrait hole, and down the deserted corridors Ginny crept. Carefully checking around the corner, she continued along, though she never met anyone along the way. When she couldn't sleep, Ginny would take a short trip outside to the grounds. Her feet making no more than a soft pattering, she wandered anywhere her feet would take her. Normally she'd end up at the edge of the lake, where she'd sit and let the cool night breeze wash over her.

More than once she'd stay there and cry till dawn. When the sun would start coming up she'd realize that her cheeks were drenched with tears and she wouldn't ever remember when she started crying.

Today she stopped at her usual spot at the bank of the lake. Slowly, Ginny sank to the ground and stared out into the darkness. After less than an hour, something rustled in the trees farther down the bank. Ginny didn't move. A couple times she would hear things, but soon enough she realized that the sounds were always her imagination.

She focused in the distance at the tops of the trees. She imagined the sun rising slowly, warming her inside and out. The sun always made her feel-.

There it was again, the same rustling, coming from the same direction. She shivered as she tried to control her breathing. Even though she knew it was her imagination, she was still getting anxious. Slowly but surely, Ginny calmed down. She let her mind drift and pulled the blanket she brought with her tighter around her small body. Before long, she heard it again.

This time Ginny knew she wasn't imagining the sounds. The rustling was louder than ever and she even heard the snap of a twig. Slowly, she stood up with her things held close to her chest. She stood stock-still. Squinting into the darkness, Ginny gasped. A dark shadow stepped from the small grouping of trees. The shadowed figure started walking toward her, getting faster and faster with every giant stride.

It took Ginny a moment to realize what was happening and when she saw the figure less than twenty feet away she ran. She ran and ran all the way back to the portrait hole of Gryffindor Tower, not caring whether she was caught or not and not once looking back. When she finally stopped, her body bent over, her breathing hard and irregular. Glancing up, she saw the empty corridor and sighed in relief. Once Ginny could breathe again, she crept inside to the common room and back up to her bed. She lay down but wasn't able to fall asleep. Ginny stayed like that until morning when her other roommates began to stir.

Ginny again found herself daydreaming in her Charms classroom. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy Charms; it was that she felt the class went utterly slow. She had already mastered what they were learning today: a simple drought charm. Each student in the class was given a small goblet of water along with a bucket of water if they indeed succeeded so they could refill their goblet.

Ginny sat alone in the back, the only one at her table. _Since when have I become so anti-social_ she thought to herself. Looking around the room, she saw people she had known for the last six years laughing and joking with each other as they attempted to dry up their water. She looked at her own dry goblet. She'd learned the charm at least ten minutes ago and was now watching sadly as her classmates enjoyed the class.

Soon enough Flitwick made his way over to her. She performed the charm and her little cup of water dried up right before their eyes. Ginny leaned back in her chair satisfied by her own skill, like she had done yesterday…and the day before… and the day before that. Except this time, Professor Flitwick didn't leave. He filled her goblet again and muttered an incantation of his that made her goblet grow to twice its size. Some of her classmates that noticed the over-large goblet in front of her had fallen silent and were watching her.

"Again," Flitwick squeaked.

Ginny concentrated only slightly harder before she performed the charm and she drained the larger amount of liquid from her new goblet. She looked at her professor and saw a slight smile appear on his face before it was gone. Flitwick bent down and reached for the water bucket. Clumsily he lifted it onto her desk while some of the water sloshed over the edge. He then looked at her expectantly. Now the whole class was watching her.

She sighed then turned her attention to the bucket and concentrated even more. Ginny muttered the charm and slowly but surely the water dried up, including the water that had splashed onto her desk. She looked to her professor with a smile of achievement on her face, but he was already moving away. The smile faded and Ginny slumped in her seat. The rest of the class she drifted in and out, and as she was leaving Professor Flitwick called her over.

"Miss Weasley," he began, "would you come here for a moment please?"

_Crap_. She turned slowly and dragged her feat all the way to his desk. She stood there expectantly waiting for him to speak first.

"Well, I've noticed that you seem a little…" he trailed off trying to think of the word, "detached, in my class."

"Professor-" Ginny began.

"No, no," Flitwick interrupted, "now I understand that sometimes my class may be a little dull," he said with a small smile, "but you seem to _always_ be disconnected."

"No, it's not-" she tried again.

"But I don't think that's the issue with you." He said with a very serious expression. "You seem to be off in some other world, but when put on the spot you can perform the charm no sweat. I haven't seen anyone with the ability to pick up on a charm that fast, in a long time."

At this moment Ginny couldn't help but smile. She didn't receive such genuine compliments that often.

"So," he said with a sigh, "I have an offer for you." He paused and watched her expression and then continued. "Because of the ease you seem to have in learning new charms, I would like to ask you if you would want to move up to my advanced charm class."

Ginny just stared at him, mouth gaping open. "But Professor," she stammered, "I would be missing an entire year of material! I wouldn't know all the spells that I would need for my NEWTs next year!"

"I know," Flitwick sighed, "Don't think that I just offered you this on a whim. I've thought about it, and I think I have a decent plan."

Ginny opened her mouth again, but stopped when Flitwick held up his hand.

"If you would accept my offer, you would have a lot of work ahead of you. You would be taking the advanced class and learning the new spells and charms in there, but I understand that you still have things to learn for your NEWTs. So, I could give you a list of charms and spells that you would need to know for the exam every month," he paused, "and it would be up to you to practice them and learn them. I could have you come in at the end of the month to show me that you actually learned them all. And if you ever seem to be lagging behind in the advanced class, then I could work something out for you to receive help."

Ginny just stared at him, bewildered. No teacher had ever offered her such a wonderful deal…but she hesitated. What if she couldn't learn all the charms? She'd fall behind and probably crack under the pressure.

"Err," Ginny stammered, "I think it would be easier if I just stayed where I am. You know, I already have so much work with my other NEWT classes, and I don't think I'd be able to keep up in them." She added.

"So you just want to play it safe?" he asked, "Of course staying where you are will be easier, but if you moved up, you could learn so much! I _know_ you can handle it, Miss Weasley,"

She hesitated. Ginny longed for the advanced class. She'd love to prove her worth, and inside she knew she could handle it. She loved the challenge of a new spell. At first she'd feel defeated if she couldn't get it right away, but she would try and try again. Then when she did get it perfectly, she swelled with pride. It was one of the few moments when Ginny felt like she could actually do something right.

"So how bout it?" he squeaked.

_What the hell_ she thought. "Sure, I'll do it."

"Excellent! Now what do you have for your fourth class of the day?"

"Err, nothing actually."

"That's perfect!" he said, "So, come down then later today and we'll get you settled in. You'll also have to learn the things we've gone over so far in that class." He added.

_Great_ Ginny thought _this is going to suck_.

"Don't worry, dear," he said as if reading her mind, "I know you can handle it."

Ginny gave him a small smile and walked out of the classroom. _What have I gotten myself into _she wondered. _I am so in over my head_.

**

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A/N: **Alright! That's it for now! **Read** and **review** please. 


	2. The Art of Illusions

Chapter 2: The Art of Illusions

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Fourth hour came faster than it had all year, or so Ginny thought. She walked in the classroom she'd been in only a few hours earlier and took her normal seat in the back of the class, invisible to the other handful of people in there with her. 

Ginny could see Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting together only a few tables ahead of her. _Great_ she thought, _a class with the infamous trio_. _Exactly what I wanted_.

Flitwick scuttled into the classroom and cleared his throat.

"I would like everyone to know-" he began.

_Oh crap_. Ginny thought, her heart starting to race for what she thought he was going to do.

"That we have a new student with us now-"

_I can't believe he's doing this_. Please_ let me be dreaming_.

"Let us greet her, shall we?" he finished.

_Oh. No._

Flitwick raised his arm and indicated Ginny in the back of the class who was sinking farther and farther down in her seat, wishing she were invisible.

"Miss Weasley," he said happily.

Ginny could feel her face getting red while every head turned to see her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all giving her questioning looks while Ginny just tried to ignore them. From her brief glance up, Ginny saw the remaining people that were now her classmates. There were four Ravenclaws, one whom Ginny recognized to be Padma Patil, one Hufflepuff, and a Slytherin: Draco Malfoy.

_Great_. Ginny thought to herself. _What have I gotten myself into?_

"Let's all be welcoming and make Miss Weasley feel as comfortable as possible." Flitwick finished.

Ginny felt like she would die as all eyes remained on her. Finally, Flitwick began today's agenda and one by one, they all turned their attention to him. Today they were assigned to do simple enlarging charms.

_Maybe this won't be that difficult_ she thought.

Everyone began and shifted their focus to the wooden cubes placed in front of each student. Ginny was about to begin when she noticed something: the whole class was absolutely silent. She searched the room to look for someone saying an incantation, but there was nothing.

"Miss Weasley," Flitwick said from beside her. Ginny practically jumped out of her chair, not even realizing he'd strolled down the aisle towards her, "well, you many have noticed that no one is saying anything." Ginny nodded slowly still searching the room. "That's because every Friday we work on our ability to perform a spell without saying the incantation aloud. When done in the quietness of one's head," he said tapping his own head, "there are many advantages. This skill can come in handy in the outside world, so we work on it in here to perfect that ability."

Ginny let everything he said soak in as she tried to comprehend it all.

"All you have to do," Flitwick explained, "is concentrate hard, harder than you normally would, and imagine the incantation. Hear it in your head, envision it in your mind, and then flick your wand. All the while with your mouth zipped tightly shut!"

He gave her a quick smile and then moved throughout the class.

_Alright_ Ginny thought. _Imagine the incantation_. She sighed and concentrated strongly on the little wooden cube. _Engorgio!_ She thought.

Nothing.

_Engorgio!_

Again, nothing.

More than 30 minutes later Ginny was beginning to get frustrated. Her wooden cube sat in front of her unchanged.

_Come on Gin_ she urged herself. _Picture it_. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and screamed _Engorgio_ in her head. Slowly she opened her eye. Nope. The cube remained unchanged.

A couple instances Flitwick had walked over to her, observing the red-faced Ginny, who was silently urging her stupid cube to get larger…or to do _something_. He offered no help or suggestions so Ginny spent the rest of the class working herself up. When it was finally over Ginny slowly packed up her stuff.

_I can always learn them_ she though disappointedly.

"Miss Weasley," Flitwick said. Ginny hardly jumped this time. She was getting used to the fact that he just showed up places without her even noticing. "We have this class Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. You'll be needing the new class text, but if need be, you can borrow one of the school's books. Oh, and here is the list of this month's charms that you need to be able to do. See me in a month, or see me earlier if you learn them before then. Okay?"

He shoved the list into her hand and Ginny barely glanced down at it.

"Professor-" but before she could argue that she wasn't ready for this class, he was already out the door, leaving Ginny alone with her thoughts…or at least, she thought she was alone.

"You know," drawled a familiar voice, "you pretty much suck at nonverbal magic."

Ginny looked up to see the one and only Draco Malfoy still in the classroom. Ginny opened her mouth to retort but then bit it back. _Well, Mr. Malfoy, you suck at life_ she said in the confines of her mind.

"What?" he asked, "No clever comeback?" He got up and stepped closer to her. When Ginny looked up again, he was only inches from her. She jumped in surprise. He snorted at the look of horror on her face. "Stupid Weasley," he said shaking his head as he waltzed out of the room.

Ginny remained rooted to the spot allowing her breathing to retain it's normal pace. Finally, she left, off to the common room to spend her free block working on her homework.

However, getting her work done wasn't exactly as easy as she thought it'd be. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been waiting there for her, and as soon as she entered the common room, they pounced.

"What are you doing in _our_ class?" Ron demanded angrily. She just looked at him incredulously. _Is it that difficult for him to be proud of me?_

"What Ronald means," Hermione said throwing Ron a look, "is what are you doing in the advanced charms class?"

"No!" Ron practically shouted, "What I mean is, what the bloody hell are you doing in our class?"

"RON!" both Harry and Hermione shouted at him.

"Gin?" Harry said comfortingly. She looked into his shockingly green eyes, the eyes she'd been so obsessed with only years before. He nudged her arm encouragingly.

"Well," she said hesitantly, "Professor Flitwick asked me to stay after class today. In my normal class, that is, and he offered me the chance to move on up to the advanced class. I guess he was under the impression that I could handle it."

"Well _obviously_ he was wrong!" Ron shouted.

"RON!" Hermione and Harry yelled again and glared at the red head.

"I know," Ginny whispered as she sat down in a chair at the nearest table.

Ginny saw Harry and Hermione exchange looks out of the corner of her eye. Hermione nodded her head and Harry grabbed Ron by the arm and dragged him away. Hermione slowly sat down in the chair next to Ginny's.

"Ginny?" she asked hesitantly. Hermione gingerly set her hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Gin, are you okay?"

Ginny sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled and Hermione didn't press her.

"He asked you to be in the advanced class for a reason," She said as she was standing up to leave, "Don't forget that. Oh and don't let your brother get to you. He's just jealous, really."

That night Ginny didn't stroll around the grounds, like the previous night. She still couldn't sleep, but she didn't dare wander outside because of her fear of that shadowed figure. Instead, she lay in her bed and remembered happier times. Days when she was genuinely glad to be alive. _When did it all change?_ She wondered. But of course, she already knew the answer.

Things had been changing all along, but last summer was when she really noticed any of it. Her parents were always worrying and bothering with her older brothers but never cared to glance at her. Her mother once said that she was lucky Ginny was so perfect.

"I'm not perfect." Ginny whispered to the darkness.

Mrs. Weasley had said Ginny was such a good daughter. She never had to worry about Ginny in the least bit. Unfortunately, that meant that Ginny didn't get any attention or praise either. There were rare occasions when one of her parents would be scolding one of their sons, and they would say something like "Why can't you be more like Ginny?" or "Look at Ginny. She doesn't behave like that." This would've normally made Ginny happy, but her brothers came to resent her a little. Sometimes they would even make snotty jokes to each other about her "perfection".

Throughout the summer, things just got worse and worse. She would indeed _try_ to be perfect, excelling in everything she did, and doing all the things her parents asked of her, but it didn't make a difference. Then her father got caught up with work. He was never home, and when he was, things didn't go well. She'd lie awake in her small room at the Burrow and listen to her parents argue in the room directly next to hers. None of her brothers ever noticed or heard anything…but she did.

The whole household was always tense, but then Harry and Hermione arrived to stay until school started. At first things were great, and Ginny thought life was finally getting better. But then the trio started ditching her and making lame excuses so she wouldn't go with them on their summer adventures. So Ginny ended up spending the summer wandering about alone.

She shut herself up and hid all her emotions from everyone. She'd lie awake, even then, and promise herself the same thing every night. If she were what they wanted, if she were perfect, then they'd notice her. Then they would care. And that's what she did, but she was still waiting for someone…_anyone_ to notice.

* * *

Draco wrapped his cloak tighter around his body. Lately, the nights were getting cooler and cooler. Fall was definitely affecting Hogwarts. 

Draco walked down the bank of the lake, looking for the same thing as always…or, same person really. Only a month ago, at the beginning of the year, Draco had snuck out of his dormitory to wander the grounds. He hadn't been able to sleep and had decided to take a nice nighttime walk. He had camped himself against a tree trunk and stared off into the distance.

That's when he'd heard it. At first he tensed and grabbed his wand, waiting several minutes to try and identify the noise. It's then that he realized that it was someone crying, a _girl_ crying. He had searched the bank and spotted the person about thirty feet away. In the darkness it was impossible to tell who it was, so he just stared at her outline, her fragile body huddled together against the wind and whatever hardship she was fighting. He watched silently as her body shuddered, and he came accustomed to her small hiccoughs that always signaled she was almost done letting it all out.

He would come outside every night, hoping she'd be there. And at least once a week, he'd spend the night watching this fragile being cry herself to exhaustion. Draco surprised himself in these moments. He had never really cared about the well being of others, or for any emotions they may be feeling. But sitting in the darkness and watching this girl, he felt compelled to help her. Somewhere inside, _deep_ inside, he wanted to help.

A couple times, the girl had even stayed until the faintest light shown over the trees. At these times he would shift in his hiding spot behind the grouping of trees and try to get a glimpse of her face, but she always hung her head low and wrapped a small shawl around her head. Last night he felt compelled to do something.

The girl arrived at the lake and sat in her usual spot. He had shifted and shifted in his spot, the anticipation getting to him. A couple of times, she lifted her head as if she heard something. And even before she began crying, Draco had stepped out from his cover. He hadn't even meant to, but his desire to see her face overcame his sensibility.

He'd walked purposefully over to her and she had stood up. But once he was getting close enough to see her face, she ran away, and he didn't follow.

* * *

Saturday came strong and warm. Ginny didn't even remember falling asleep, but somehow she managed it. She woke up to the sun filling the room and coming in through the crack in her curtains. She got up and dressed slowly. Skipping breakfast, Ginny wandered out onto the grounds she knew fairly well. 

The sun was shining, and Ginny delicately sat down in a nice patch of grass. It was a beautiful autumn day. The air was crisp and clean, and the sun warmed the normally cool temperature. Ginny pulled the list of spells she'd gotten from Flitwick out of her robes and read it over for the first time.

There were a couple spells on there that she knew already, thanks to the DA two years ago. She'd have to practice them maybe once or twice to make sure she still could do them.

"Reducto…protego…stupefy…silencio," Ginny murmured, reading off the list. Next to each spell or charm was a short description of what it did. So Ginny spent her morning reviewing the spells she knew and trying to learn the new ones.

On her first try, Ginny got most of the spells that she already knew, and she learned most of the other ones just as easily. The morning passed, relatively quickly and peacefully…that is until a certain someone interrupted her.

"You call that a severing charm?" Malfoy drawled from behind her. Once more Ginny jumped in surprise. She cursed herself under her breath from getting frightened so easily. "Well?" he said walking around to her front.

"Yes," she answered quietly.

"Yes?" he asked incredulously, "That's _all_ you have to say?"

She held back her retort, but only barely.

"Boy, Weasley, you're pathetic," he scoffed at her, just egging her on.

_That's it_ she thought.

"Well, what the hell do you want me to say?" she cried outraged. After Ginny realized what she did, she gasped in horror her hand covering her mouth. She wondered how Malfoy had gotten to her so easily.

He smirked at her after she finished her little outburst. "Pretty bad temper you have there, Weasel." He smirked, "You might want to work on that." He sank down to the ground across from her. "This," he said, "is how it's done."

Draco then raised his wand and pointed it at one of the sticks Ginny had collected. He flicked his wand and the stick broke cleanly and perfectly in two. Ginny looked at her own severed stick. It wasn't as perfect as his was…but it was pretty darn close.

"Wait," Ginny stammered just realizing something, "you didn't say the incantation at all!"

Draco smirked and said, "Yes, Weasley, some of us can actually perform nonverbal spells just as well as we can verbal spells."

She glared at him, grabbed her things and promptly left, with him still sitting on the ground, slightly shocked. Ginny fumed the rest of the day over the fact that he could perform the spell better than she could AND he could do it nonverbally. _Jerk_ she thought, _he just has to ruin everyone's day, doesn't he_?

* * *

Today had been very odd for Draco. Well, it had started off normal enough. He had woken up only after a few hours of sleep and had eaten breakfast in the Great Hall. Afterward, he'd set off towards the grounds ditching Crabbe and Goyle along the way. He'd only just stepped out into the autumn sun when he noticed her. 

The littlest Weasley was sitting by herself and performing a variety of spells in a secluded area of the grounds. He didn't know why he felt compelled by her, but before he knew it he was standing behind her saying something, which surprised both him and her.

The whole event was odd and slightly uncomfortable for him. He was rather rude and snooty to the Weasley, but it was different somehow.

Maybe it was because whenever he ticked-off one of her brothers they would promptly explode at him, but she held it all back. He saw the great amount of control that flooded across her face whenever he sent a wave of insults at her.

But there was that one instance when she totally snapped. He smiled slightly, thinking about it now. Her eyes had flashed dangerously as she yelled at him. When she had realized what she had done, her eyes lost their spark, and resumed their placid innocence.

_Wait,_ Draco stopped himself. _What on earth am I doing, thinking about a Weasley?_

He stopped his own train of thought and focused on other things.

Like he said earlier, today had just been _weird_.

* * *

Sunday and Monday passed by in a whir to Ginny. She'd been swamped in work and slept restlessly. She still didn't dare go out at night, so she just tossed and turned in her bed. 

And now she was seated in the back of her charms class, waiting and dreading for their new lesson. Flitwick arrived just on time and started speaking right away.

"Today we will be learning about an odd branch of charms," he informed them. "It is sometimes connected with transfiguration, but it is truly related with charms." Here he paused before continuing. "This ability isn't really changing or transfiguring the appearance of something…or someone." He then took a wooden cube from the nearby box and Ginny glared at it, remembering all too well how it had refused to get larger for her last Friday.

"What we're doing," Flitwick continued, "is creating an illusion." He muttered under his breath and the wooden cube turned into a bright, blue ball. "The mind," Flitwick continued, looking at his students, "is very easily fooled. You all see this as a ball. It bounces," he said throwing the ball to the ground and then catching it, "like a ball, but not because it is a ball. Your minds see it bounce because that's what they are fooled into thinking."

He stopped and let the class soak in this new information before continuing, "This is still, in fact, a wooden cube. Depending on the strength of the spell, there are certain ways in which it can be broken. One, "he said tossing the ball/cube to Harry, who gasped, "is by touch."

Harry rotated the ball in his hands in awe. Ginny leaned forward, trying to get a better look at it. It still looked like a blue ball to her.

"Pass it around, Mr. Potter," Professor Flitwick said with a smile, "let's see if the rest of the class can see what is _really_ there."

One by one, the students gazed in awe as they touched the ball/cube. When Ginny got it, she was confused. It still looked and felt like a ball…then she gasped. She was now looking at a small, wooden cube. One second it had been a ball and when she blinked, it turned cube on her.

"There are some illusion spells, however," Flitwick continued, retrieving the cube from Ginny's hands, "that cannot be broken by _anyone_ but the spell caster."

Once again, Flitwick turned the wooden cube into a ball. He then passed it around the class once more, and when Ginny got it she paused. She stared down at her hands where she knew a cube should be…but instead, there was just a bright, blue ball.

"You could say that I just transfigured the cube," Flitwick began again, and took the ball from Ginny once more. He smiled at them, "but I promise you that I did not. Illusions don't change the objects; they simply pull a layer of magic over the objects to mask what's really there."

He waved his wand over the ball and it changed back into a cube. "For a caster to take off the illusion, all they need to do is wave their wand like so," he demonstrated, "and simply imagine what you know is there. It's easy to believe that what you're looking at is really what's there, but that's not always the case. You need to realize what you're seeing is truly an illusion."

"Alright," he said to the class, "the incantation you'll be using is _Ilusio_. For this, I want you to get into partners to practice. This way you can check with each other that the illusion is really what it's meant to be." He started to move about but then added, "Oh, and try to work on the strength of your illusion. Be able to control it and make it stronger or weaker."

The class automatically went into pairs, and there was only one person left partner-less. _Oh lord, _Ginny thought. _Please, let me be imagining this_.

But no, it was no illusion. Draco Malfoy sat at his table alone and, it seemed to Ginny, to be waiting for her. Ginny sighed and grabbed her books and sat down dramatically in the seat next to Draco.

"Well, well, well," he smirked at her, "looks like you're stuck with me."

"Looks like it," she snarled at him and then stopped. _Why does he get me _so_ worked up_ she asked herself again. "Look, can we just do this without any arguing?" She looked at him with big round eyes. "Please," she added.

He didn't say anything but just went up to get the cubes and Ginny smiled slightly, taking his silence as a "yes". He sat back down with one cube in front of him and she looked at him curiously.

"What?" he scoffed, "You didn't actually think I'd get one for you, did you?"

Ginny glared at him and then went up there to get her own wooden cube. _This is going to be a long class_ she thought to herself.

And it was. Time ticked slowly by and Ginny and Draco argued on and off. Ginny was so frustrated that she was just barely able to perform the spell. She was just beginning to learn how to control the illusion's strength when Professor Flitwick began to speak again.

"Good work, class!" he said enthusiastically. "You've all successfully created illusions, but this isn't the end. For the next couple of weeks we'll be learning how to control the strength of the illusions, and we'll gradually move on to more complex objects." He paused and the added, "If you all can do this we might even work on human illusions!"

The rest of the class murmured excitedly with each other, but Ginny just groaned. That meant more weeks of being Malfoy's partner. _Great_. She gathered her things and left before anyone else and spent the rest of the day cooling off. Again, she asked herself the question of "what the hell am I doing?".

**

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A/N:** Alright, that's chapter two! 

Thanks for all the reviews! I **really** appreciate it! Keep up the **reviewing**, and I'll keep writing!


	3. Help Arrives

Chapter 3: Help Arrives

* * *

The illusion spells were going well for Ginny. She was now able to control the strength of her illusions very well. However, being partners with Draco was going down the tubes. She might actually enjoy the advanced class, if it weren't for him…and trying to learn nonverbal magic.

Ginny dreaded Fridays because it meant failing completely and miserably. Today was no exception.

"Would you stop it, Malfoy?" Ginny pleaded. She was once again partnered with Malfoy because of Flitwick's great idea that peer "help" would actually help. And it might've, except Malfoy had no intention of helping her in any way.

Today they were supposed to levitate the small cushions in front of them, nonverbally, of course. Ginny was having no success whatsoever, while Draco had his own cushion floating around them, occasionally making it poke or nudge Ginny.

Ginny grabbed the cushion as it was passing by her ear and slammed it on the table.

"Stop. It." She seethed. Ginny was getting used to lashing out around Malfoy. There was something about him that she just could _not_ stand, and she would _not_ let him push her around.

"Jealous, are we?" he smirked while levitating his cushion, without saying a word, of course. This time he made it smack her hard in the face.

"No," she said angrily, trying desperately to remain calm. "_I_ would just like the opportunity to concentrate!"

"So," he said making his cushion nudge her continuously in the arm, "why don't you concentrate then?"

She grabbed the cushion and flung it at his over-large head, which relieved some of the anger that she had been building up all class period.

"That's not going to do anything, Weasley," he said quite unaffected by her out lash.

"Oh yeah?" Ginny asked. "Well, what if it were a cube?" She took her own cushion and muttered a strong illusion spell over it. A split second later Ginny was holding a wooden cube, or so it seemed. She held her arm up in a throwing position, ready to strike if provoked.

"Put it down." Draco ordered, tensing up in his seat. His smirk had disappeared rather quickly.

"Scared?" she asked laughing, "_The_ Draco Malfoy is scared of poor, little me?" Ginny was rather enjoying this. She watched him slightly squirm, never taking his eyes off her hand.

"Just set it down," he growled at her.

"Fine," Ginny sighed, giving in, "have it your way." Slowly she lowered her "cube" and smiled triumphantly as she saw him physically relax.

Draco just glared at her angrily, upset with how she had gotten to him. _How dare she!_

"You're so pathetic, Weasley!" He snarled, trying to save his pride from anymore humiliation.

"Excuse me?" Ginny eyed him incredulously, her smile fading as he spoke.

"You heard me," Draco continued. "You. Are. Pathetic. You're stupid and worthless, _and_ you're butt-ugly," he added for affect.

Ginny glared at him and felt her anger surging through her body. _How dare he!_ She glanced down at her "cube" and imagined it lifting off the table and smacking him square in the nose.

"Got nothing to say?" Draco kept going, pushing her closer and closer to the edge. "You pathetic, muggle-lover. You are so-"

But at that moment Draco was cut off. He kept pushing and pushing her until Ginny snapped. She had mentally screamed at her "cube" to lift off the table and fly directly for his face. To her surprise, and to Draco's, it did. Her "cube" flew up and hit him on the nose, with quite some force too.

"Bloody hell!" Draco shouted standing up with his hand over his nose.

"I did it!" Ginny cried gleefully.

"What on earth is going on?" Flitwick asked, scuttling over to their table.

_Oh crap_ Ginny thought.

"She," Draco seethed, pointing his finger at Ginny, "hit me with her cube!"

Ginny grabbed the "cube" from the table quickly and discreetly removed its illusion.

"Is this true, Miss Weasley?" Flitwick asked her gently.

"I don't know what he's talking about Professor." Ginny said, feigning innocence. "I mean, we're not even working with cubes," she pointed out.

"She's right." Flitwick said turning back to Draco, who still had his hand over his nose. Draco just glared at Ginny but said nothing.

"He might have _imagined_ it was a cube, Professor," Ginny said while smirking at a very pissed-off Draco. "Maybe he was just confused. But how do your confuse a cushion," she said lifting hers up, "with a cube?'

If looks could kill, then Ginny Weasley would be dead. In that moment, Draco wanted nothing more than to whip out his wand and hex her and her little smirk into oblivion.

"I do admit thought," Ginny continued, her act of innocence now going into full motion, "that I did, indeed, hit Malfoy in the face." Flitwick turned to her in astonishment. "It's just that," Ginny said hurriedly, "I was _so_ happy that I'd finally been able to perform a nonverbal spell, that I lost control."

She hung her head, faking her own shame.

"Alright," Flitwick said, glancing from Ginny to Draco, probably trying to figure out what _really_ happened, "just carry on then."

Ginny waited until Flitwick had left and she heard Draco sit down. Through the curtain of her own red hair that had wrapped itself around her, she glanced up at him. He had lowered his hand, and there was a definite red mark on his nose where she had hit him.

"What?" she asked innocently, batting her eyelashes.

"You know bloody hell what." He growled at her.

"It's not _my_ fault that your mind imagined a cube hitting you when it really was only a cushion," Ginny pointed out calmly.

He just glared at her in response, but he involuntarily noticed how great she looked in that moment. She was smiling slightly at him, a genuine smile too. And her eyes, which were normally dull and detached, were sparkling with mischief and pure happiness. Draco shook his head, ridding him of his thoughts of Ginny.

"Besides," she continued, her eyes lighting up even more as she spoke, "shouldn't you be congratulating me!" Now she full out smiled as she gazed into the distance, remembering her own success with her nonverbal spell.

"Congratulations," he muttered sarcastically.

The rest of the class Ginny and Draco kept deadly silent. Draco was fuming from the embarrassment Ginny had put him through, and Ginny was fuming because she couldn't successfully do another nonverbal spell. She kept throwing him jealous looks as he lifted and set down his own cushion without muttering a word. Ginny became even more frustrated as every second passed. By the time class was done, she practically jumped out her chair, ready to leave the stuffy classroom. Just as she reached the door Flitwick called her back.

"Miss Weasley," he called out to her, "a word, please."

Ginny grimaced. She turned on the spot dramatically and marched right up to his desk, waiting as patiently as she could for him to say something.

"I asked you," he said looking at her very seriously, "to be in this advanced class for a reason."

Ginny opened her mouth right away to apologize for her behavior, but he cut her off.

"I believe that you're a very talented witch," Ginny lowered her head feeling ashamed of her actions earlier.

"I'm sorry," she murmured quietly, head still bent.

"Now," Flitwick continued more gently this time, "do you still want to be in this class?"

Ginny nodded her head slowly. Even thought she knew it'd be extremely difficult, an offer like this one didn't come around too often. She knew that she needed to take advantage of it.

"Alright," he said, "then there are a few things that you'll need to do for me to allow you to continue with the advanced class. One, you must work on the day's assignment in class and _nothing_ else."

Ginny flinched. She knew he was referring to the illusion trick that she had pulled earlier.

"And two," Flitwick continued, "you will be assigned a tutor to help improve your nonverbal skills."

Ginny looked up at him, mouth gaping open in shock. _Me?_ her mind screamed. _Need a tutor?_ He'd mentioned the possibility of a tutor before, but she had hardly taken him seriously. Ginny was an excellent student who always understood what she was learning…_except now_ she reminded herself. Still, she had hardly considered a tutor an option.

"But Professor," she said looking for an excuse to get out of this blow against her pride, "I successfully did a nonverbal spell today!"

"Yes, but," he said, "you weren't able to do it again throughout the whole class. I watched you, and you came nowhere close to being able to do it. Sometimes," he explained, "a witch or wizard will be able to cast a spell out of a pure, strong emotion. In those instances, the emotion they are feeling is enough to complete a spell they might normally not be able to do. For example, when a witch may be feeling a strong emotion of anger," he said looking at her, "she will be able to perform a bit of magic that she would not normally be capable of doing."

Ginny just stared back at him quietly. Part of her knew that what Flitwick was saying was right, but the other part of her really didn't care.

"Now I know you and Mr. Malfoy don't exactly get along," he said, getting back to the point. _That's for sure_ Ginny agreed. "But he's the best in the class."

Ginny froze, her mind putting two and two together.

"Wait, you can't mean…" she trailed

"Oh, but I do." Flitwick assured her. "Mr. Malfoy will be your tutor."

Ginny gaped in horror at her teacher. _Surely, he must be kidding! Malfoy! My tutor!_

"I am not doing this to be cruel to you," _Yeah right_ Ginny thought sarcastically. She glared at her teacher, hating him for doing this to her.

"He is the best," Flitwick assured her once more, "and more importantly, if you can't learn to do this from him, then I will seriously consider dropping you from this class."

If Ginny was angry before, then now she was furious. They sat in a tense silence. Ginny still couldn't believe what he'd told her. _Stuck with Malfoy?_

"Is this okay, Miss Weasley?" Flitwick finally asked, breaking their tense quietness.

Ginny nodded grimly and held in the urge to scream that had been building up inside her.

"Good," he said, smiling slightly. "I'll talk to Mr. Malfoy, and then I'll leave it up to you two to figure something out. And I expect to see some improvement." He added.

Ginny let out a low sigh, wishing more than anything that she'd never gotten herself into this whole mess.

"I know that you can handle it." He reassured her, yet again.

"So I've been told," she replied icily. Ginny grabbed her bag and stormed out of the classroom, not really caring how incredibly rude she had just been…and to her teacher, no less!

Ginny's weekend passed rather uneventfully. She had just barely finished her homework and had only made a dent in the list of spells she needed to be able to perform for Flitwick. Oddly enough though, she had been able to fall asleep every night. Maybe it was the exhaustion that was overcoming her, or-dare she think it- things were actually getting better. Either way, Ginny was beginning to feel slightly better…but only slightly. When Monday came and went, she reminded herself of her situation with her new tutor, and that darkened her mood indefinitely.

"So," Ginny said Tuesday afternoon as she sat next to Malfoy in their Charms class.

He just sat there, staring straight forward and ignoring her presence all together. _Gosh, he's going to make this difficult_ Ginny realized. "Malfoy," she started but at that moment Flitwick walked in and started to begin their lesson.

"Today, we will be doing illusions again," he informed them, "but now we're moving up from simple, wooden cubes to water." He held up a goblet with water in it. "Creating illusions for liquids is only slightly more complex. For solids, the molecules and particles and such," he said and Ginny wasn't even sure he knew what he was talking about, "are all in fixed positions. They don't move around; they're just stationary. But with liquids, the molecules are moving and bumping against each other. When performing the illusion, you don't need to do anything differently, but the strength of the illusion will be different. It requires only a bit more strength to illusion a liquid." He looked around the classroom and then added, "Alright, so begin!"

There was a bit of shuffling as everyone took their seats and paired up, but then everything calmed down. Draco was still looking determinedly forward. _Boy, this kid can hold a grudge_ Ginny thought while sighing. She slightly went up to get their goblets and filled them with water. She placed his goblet of water in front of him, but he didn't move. Ginny stared down at hers and then smiled. Muttering the illusion incantation, she changed her water into plump, green grapes.

"Look!" she said brightly holding out her newly illusioned grapes, but he didn't so much as blink. Ginny picked up the grape and less than a second later it turned to water and spilled all over her. "Crap!" she cried to herself. Draco, watching her from the corner of his eye, couldn't help but laugh. When Ginny heard him trying to stifle his laughter she looked up smiling. "Do you think that's funny?" she asked him, pretending to be angry.

Ginny quickly took off the illusion and then re-applied it more strongly this time. She reached her hand in the goblet and pulled out a grape.

"There!" she smiled triumphantly. Her brown eyes were sparkling, and it was obvious that she could barely contain her happiness.

"You think that's impressive," Draco said unable to stay mad when Ginny was so perfectly happy. Her smile was _that_ contagious. It could make even the most stubborn of people melt into silly happiness. He took one of her grapes and popped it into his mouth, then grabbed his own wand. "Now, watch the master."

Ginny smiled at him and then Draco muttered the spell and his water turned into a jigglely-red substance.

"What on earth," Ginny said, "is that?"

"Are you kidding?" Draco said trying to sound outraged. "Hello? It's Jell-O! J-E-L-L-O!" he sang in a little tune.

Ginny immediately fell into a fit of giggles, and Draco couldn't help but watch and smile at her. She was so beautiful with her red curls falling over her shoulders and her cheeks turning a slight pink color.

The rest of the class was spent with Draco and Ginny turning their water into delectable treats. Several times though, one of them would "accidentally" put a weak illusion on the water and when the other would reach to try the treat, it would dissolve in their hands and spill all over the place. This only led to laughter and people staring at them incredulously. By the end of the hour, both of them were wet along with their table and chairs.

"So," Ginny began again, finishing the conversation she had started earlier, "what are we going to do about my tutoring?"

She stared at him, but this time he was actually thinking of a response instead of ignoring her completely.

"Well, Weasley," he started, "someone like you will need _a lot_ of help."

Ginny would have yelled at him, but she saw the smile on his face, and the sound of his voice told her that he was only kidding.

"Alright," Ginny said slowly, "so what are we going to do?"

"I'm getting to that," he said calming her down. "You'll need _hours_ and _hours_ of help, if you want to be able to perform nonverbal magic as well as I do." He watched her as she tried to hide the smile that was forming on her lips. "It's very difficult stuff," he added trying to sound important.

"Okay," Ginny agreed dramatically. "I get it. You know what you're doing." _Why am I admitting this to Malfoy?_ "So how are you going to help me?"

"Well," he started and Ginny could've sworn that she saw him hesitate, "we could get together later tonight."

She watched him squirm slightly while he offered that last suggestion. _It must be difficult for him_ she thought._ He has to tutor a Weasley! Well, it's hard for me too!_

But Ginny knew that the last thought wasn't true. Even though she argued with Malfoy more than she did with her own brothers, she felt different around him. She felt real…alive. She actually spoke, communicated, and was no longer just a walking corpse. It was just a nice change for her, and today, he was completely different.

"Is that a definite no?" he asked pretending to be sad.

Ginny turned her attention back to Draco. When she looked, she couldn't help but smile. He was staring at her, his bottom lip jutted-out in a pout, and his silver-grey eyes were big and round.

"It's a definite yes," she said without taking her eyes off him. "So we'll come back down here after dinner and you can turn me into a master of nonverbal magic!"

With that, Ginny picked up her books and practically skipped out of the classroom. _Why is the idea of being tutored by Malfoy growing on me?_ Ginny wondered. _It's because he's the best_ she reminded herself, as if she needed convincing. If she were going to be tutored by anyone, it would _only_ be the best.

_

* * *

_Draco asked himself. He was leaving the Great Hall and was heading on his way to meet Ginny in the charms room. It was only a few hours ago when he had promised the littlest Weasley that he'd meet her back there after dinner. The whole time they were speaking to each other and making the arrangements, Draco was asking himself the same question. _What the hell am I doing?_ First of all, since when did Draco Malfoy help someone else? And second of all, since when did he act normal, even semi-nice, to a Weasley? 

He knew the answer. There was something that happened when he looked at her. The doubts he had been thinking totally evaporated when she just smiled at him. She didn't look at him like the worst enemy of her brother, or like the son of a Death Eater. There was just something about how her eyes lit up when she did smile. It couldn't be one of those fake ones he had seen her throw on to hide herself from the rest of the world. But it seemed like when she was with him, she smiled genuinely. She seemed actually happy. Something about that thought made Draco swell with happiness as well.

There was so much more to Ginny, Draco realized. _But she never lets anyone else see her _Draco realized grumpily. For some reason Ginny had decided to hide the layers upon layers of emotions and personality that she had. For what reason that was, Draco didn't know, but he certainly intended to find out.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called out to him from behind. The voice wrenched his thoughts away from Ginny, but when he turned around, he saw a girl running to catch up with him. The very girl he'd just been thinking about: Ginny. He smiled involuntarily as she halted to a stop, her red curls bouncing everywhere and her breathing hard.

"Breathe," Draco instructed her and she looked up to flash him a quick smile.

"Okay, I'm good." She huffed, still breathing hard. "I saw you leaving the Great Hall, so I decided to follow you," she explained and finally stood upright, her breathing normal. "Man, you walk fast!"

Draco smiled at her, but his mind was screaming at him to stop. _What the hell am I doing?_ That was the question that constantly flickered across his mind when he was with her. When he was just around Ginny, he couldn't help but laugh and joke and smile with her. A Weasley! Screw the fact that she was a Weasley; Draco didn't laugh or joke or smile with _anyone_!

"Come on then!" he said despite his other thoughts that were telling him to just leave. They followed the corridors a bit and arrived at the charms class a minute later.

Sitting at their normal table Draco turned to Ginny, who was patiently looking at him. _Man, she's really close_ Draco thought as he noticed that their knees were touching.

"Alright," Draco began moving his leg far away from hers. "So you're having major issues with nonverbal magic, right?"

"Yes!" Ginny cried out dramatically. "I try and try, but I _still_ can't do it!"

She leaned back in her chair frustrated at her own inability, and Draco found himself genuinely smiling at her…involuntarily, of course.

"So," Draco said continuing, "what do you do when you're trying to do a nonverbal spell?"

"Well, first I concentrate really hard. I try to clear my mind and try to only think about the object in front of me and the spell that I'm performing."

"Okay," Draco said, sounding very teacher-like, "so far it sounds like you've got it right."

"So then I visualize the spell," she said pantomiming in mid-air. "I try to see the cube or cushion or whatever doing exactly what it's supposed to do. I picture all of this in my head, but when I say it in my mind," she said sadly, dropping her hand, "nothing."

He got up from his chair and paced up and down in front of their table, while Ginny watched.

"I think," Draco began, "that it's less visualizing and more of…hearing it, maybe?" He stopped and turned to her. "Does that make any sense?"

Ginny nodded her head slowly, but then shook it furiously with a smile. "No, not really," she admitted.

"Okay," he said with a sigh and sat down next to her again. "Instead of visualizing the spell happening, hear it. Clear your mind of everything, and then say the incantation mentally. Let your voice, saying the incantation, be the only thing you hear, the only thing you are thinking about." He looked at her, hoping that she understood what he was saying. " Just imagine yourself saying it."

"Alright," she replied hesitantly, whipping out her wand and book. _Okay, __you can do this Gin._ She raised her arm, cleared her mind of everything except the sound of the incantation, and concentrated. Calmly, she said the incantation in her head, trying to hear how she said it aloud.

Nothing.

"I give up!" she said throwing her hands in the air in defeat.

"Now calm down, Weasley," Draco said sitting down behind her. "You need to _relax_ for this to work."

"I am relaxed!" Ginny cried defensively.

"Right," he replied sarcastically. "Now don't freak out," Draco warned, not sure if he should actually do it, "but this will really help you relax. Trust me."

Slowly Draco brought his hands up to her shoulders and for a moment he hesitated...but only for a moment. Then he placed his strong hands on her tiny shoulders where he could feel her tense up immediately.

"What are you doing?" she stammered in surprise.

"Lord, Weasley," he replied, trying to sound off-hand and nonchalant, like he gave girls massages all the time. "Can you relax? It's just a massage. Don't flip out."

But Ginny did flip out. She sat tensely as his warm hands worked their way around her shoulders and then down her back. After a while she loosened up and relaxed, not being able to think about anything except for the fact that Draco Malfoy was moving his hands around her body. They sat in silence for a good amount of time. Ginny was shaking slightly at the delicate and comforting touch that Malfoy was providing, and Draco was moving his hands up and down her back enjoying every bit of it, even while his head told him to stop.

"Now," he whispered, mouth right by her ear. "Try it now."

Ginny picked up her wand, almost like she was in a trance. Her body was still slightly trembling from Draco's touch, and she couldn't quite clear her mind. When she closed her eyes to concentrate, all she saw were his hands moving up and down her back, slowly and purposefully. _Stop it!_ Ginny ordered herself. Before her thoughts strayed even farther she imagined the sound of the incantation. She heard her own voice in her head saying it and then flicked her wand.

When she opened her eyes, her book was floating over the table. It was hovering only inches, and it was shaking as if it were about to fall.

"I did it!" Ginny squealed losing control as her book flopped back on the table. She jumped up and did a little dance around the table.

"But you lost control," Draco pointed out, but he was just smiling at her, his eyes wandering over her body. "You let it fall."

"Oh stop being such a party pooper!" Ginny warned. She continued to make her way around the table. Draco stood up and as she was rounding the corner with her head still bent over, she ran right into him.

"Oh!" she squeaked losing her balance. Quickly, Draco reached out his arm and caught her before she went tumbling to the floor. The end result was Ginny pressed tightly to his chest with his arms wrapped around her. "Oh," she said again, flushed this time.

Draco looked down at her, noticing how her cheeks blushed pink and her eyes got round in surprise. Her nose was shaped in a ski-slope and was sprayed with a light path of freckles.

"I have to go," she stammered finally breaking loose from his grip. "Thanks a lot!" she shouted over her shoulder as she ran out the door and down the corridor.

**

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A/N: **Please read and reveiw! 

Thanks to: missMANNEQUINx, FairyTale725, Helldarkangel1, and ImBlond.JamesBlond.! Thanks so much for your comments! They make me happy...and write faster too! Keep reading!


	4. The New Kid

Chapter 4: The New Kid

_

* * *

_Draco asked himself for what seemed like the hundredth time. 

He was sitting at his normal spot on the bank of the lake. It was nearly two in the morning, and Draco had lost track of how long he'd been out there, leaning against a tree trunk. A couple hours earlier he'd embraced Ginny. Draco flinched recalling it.

_She was falling!_ He said, trying to justify his actions…but he knew he couldn't. Yes, she was going to fall, but after he caught her he'd done nothing. No snide remark escaped his mouth that made fun of her clumsiness. And then there was the fact that he had kept his arm around her. After he'd steadied her, he hadn't let go.

What was worse was the thoughts flying through his head that told him he liked it. That he might like the way her body fit perfectly against his, the way he felt her pulse quicken…along with his own.

But before he knew it, she had pulled away. One second she was in his arms and the next she was out the door. The only thing she left behind was the warmth from her body, and even that had slowly faded away.

_Stop_ he ordered himself. It took a lot of will power, but Draco finally managed to force himself to forget about Ginny. Instead, he thought about the girl who cries. What he ironically didn't realize was that those two girls were one in the same.

Draco had been out every night in the last two weeks, but she was nowhere to be seen. _What if something happened to her_ he wondered and then thought guiltily _what if I scared her off_?

"Ugh," Draco grunted to the darkness. _What's wrong with me?_ He was going all sentimental over a girl. _Actually,_ he reminded himself,_ two girls_. And in his mind flashed a picture of Ginny smiling with cheeks flushed and eyes warm and bright. _NO!_ Draco told himself to stop again, but he couldn't. No matter what he did, his thoughts _always_ drifted back to Ginny, and that's what the rest of the night was like. He would sit in the darkness, his mind contradicting every single one of his thoughts. Who knew it would be so hard to force his mind off of her?

* * *

"Have you been avoiding me?" a voice from behind her asked. Ginny practically jumped out of her chair at the sound of his voice. 

"No," she stammered, then added more calmly, "of course not."

It was true though. Draco and Ginny had run into each other the last couple days more times than they had in the last year altogether. Of course they hadn't acknowledged each other, but there was a definite awkwardness…on both their parts. Maybe it was the way their eyes shied away from one another, or the way one would look back just to see if the other was looking too. Or it could've been the way Draco saw a blush creep up Ginny's cheeks whenever he neared her, and if he could blush, then he sure as hell would've too.

They were now both sitting silently in their seats, ready for the charms class to begin. This time Flitwick didn't rush in. In fact, he was nearly twenty minutes late. The rest of the class was talking, and Hermione looked as if she were going to die from worry, but Ginny and Draco sat deathly quiet. Both of them were thinking about the same thing: what happened last night.

"I'm so sorry, class," Professor Flitwick apologized while he rushed into the room looking very flustered. "There was a bit of an _incident._" He said the word delicately.

"What happened, Professor?" Hermione asked politely.

"Well," he started to explain, but then stopped dead and gave a little yelp. The whole class stared at him as he started speaking again…to no one, it appeared to them.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he cried out rather rudely. The students in his class were staring incredulously at him and whispering to their neighbors.

"This is where they sent me," said a voice casually. In unison, the whole class turned around to see a boy standing at the back of the classroom. He was tall and tan with light brown hair, and as he walked -actually, it was more of a strut- to the front of the class, Ginny's pulse quickened. He was dressed in khaki shorts and a navy blue shirt, and Ginny noticed, it showed off his muscles very well. He looked like he had been planning to go to the beach instead of a magical school. He held out a slip of paper, and Flitwick flinched slightly but then took it. After reading it over quickly, their Professor sighed.

"Alright class," he said to them all. "We have a new student now. His name is…"

"Lander," the boy supplied. "Christian Lander."

"Right," Flitwick said looking the boy over skeptically. "Well, just have a seat anywhere, and we'll begin the lesson."

Christian looked up, his eyes landing on Ginny. Ginny felt her heart race and her pulse quicken, and it seemed like he was about to make his way over to her. But then Ron and Harry waved him over, and he walked away in the opposite direction.

"I wonder why Flitwick seemed so spooked," Draco muttered, and Ginny realized it was true. Flitwick kept jumping around for the rest of the class and occasionally threw Christian some odd looks.

They were all supposed to be doing more illusion charms on their water (skipping nonverbal magic for the day because of the interruption), but not one of them could concentrate. Everyone kept on looking over at Christian and staring openly. Draco had muttered that they were all utterly pathetic, that he was just the new kid, but that was just it. He _was_ the new kid. There weren't many times when Hogwarts received a new student, and when they did, it certainly wasn't _after_ the year already began.

But there was also something about him, Ginny noticed. He gave off a strange aura, one that was sweetly warm and inviting. Ginny couldn't help but turn around in her seat to get a better look at him. He was laughing and smiling with Harry and Ron, and he constantly pulled his hand through his hair, rumpling it slightly. But when she looked over, he was already looking at her…or he turned to her right away, as if he could sense her eyes. Every time Ginny would blush furiously and turn back around.

Draco, who noticed this, was beginning to get frustrated. He had been illusioning his water into crazy things for the whole class, and Ginny had done nothing more than smile dreamily; Draco knew she wasn't smiling at his silly antics but over the thoughts she was having about Christian. For some reason, this pissed him off…_a lot_.

"Are you even listening to me?" Draco asked not even trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Huh?" Ginny asked dreamily.

"That would be a 'no'," Draco said angrily. Ginny noticed the anger in his voice and was finally pulled out of her revere. She looked at him, his forehead wrinkled up in frustration and his lips set in a fine line.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently.

"Perfect," he answered tartly. In truth, Draco didn't know why he was getting so mad in the first place. Who cared if the Weasel liked Lander?

"So," Ginny said, making a stab at conversation. "I was thinking that you could help me again tonight."

"Really?" Draco asked, his mood lightening at her suggestion.

"Yeah, really," she said with a smile.

"Okay," he agreed as they started packing up their stuff at the signal of the end of class. "Same time, same place?"

"Yeah," Ginny said hastily, and Draco could see the dreamy look she'd had all class coming back.

"See you then," Draco said grumpily, grabbing his books and storming out of the classroom.

"Uh, huh," Ginny said, barely paying attention to anything anymore…except for Christian.

* * *

"Hey!" a voice called down the corridor. _Weird_ Ginny thought. Everyone should've been in the Great Hall enjoying their dinners. She turned around, her pulse quickening the moment she realized who had called to her. Running to catch up with _her_ was the one and only Christian. _What do I do_? Ginny wondered. She was just standing there and trying to not look like a dork. _Why on earth would he want to talk to me?_

"Hi," she said awkwardly once he had caught up with her.

"I'm Christian," he said holding out his hand.

"Right, I know," Ginny said taking his hand and shaking it. His hands were smooth and warm, and Ginny didn't want to pull her hand away. He stood there smiling questioningly.

"Oh!" Ginny realized flustered. "I'm Ginevra Weasley…I mean, I'm Ginny -everyone calls me Ginny."

"Ginny." He said the name aloud, mulling it over. "I like it." He smiled at her, and Ginny felt butterflies flare to life in her stomach. "So, why aren't you in the Great Hall with everyone else? Aren't you hungry?"

"Why aren't _you_ in there with everyone else?" she asked right back and was pleased to see that she made him smile.

"You first."

"Err," Ginny began. In truth, she didn't know why she had never gone down to the Great Hall. "I guess I just needed some time to think…or clear my head." She blushed and added, "I dunno."

"Well, a little peace and quiet can go a long way," he said, making her feel comfortable even when she had felt embarrassed only moments ago. _This is weird_ Ginny thought. She was speaking to Christian Lander, a gorgeously hot, funny, and sweet (or so Ginny thought) guy. What else was weird was that she felt totally normal around him. He didn't know her as Ron's little sister, or as the girl who had been obsessed with Harry Potter. She was just a girl, and she liked the way he made her feel.

"Okay, then," Ginny said. "Now, why aren't you eating dinner right now?"

"Truthfully?" he asked, looking away with slightly pink cheeks. "Well," he stammered, "I was actually looking for you."

"Me?" Ginny blurted out incredulously.

"Yeah, you," he said with a smile. A comforting silence fell over them, and Ginny was tempted to ask why. Even though he was new, Ginny knew that there wasn't anything special about her. Nothing unique, and definitely nothing worthwhile.

"So," he started up again, "do you want to give me a tour of the school?"

"Sure," Ginny replied, delighted at the thought of spending more time with him.

"Why'd you come to Hogwarts?" Ginny asked as they started to walk. "And why'd you come after the year had already started?"

"My family and I moved," he said without further explanation.

"Why?"

"We had some…" he trailed off looking for the right word, "difficulties."

"What kind of difficulties?" she asked knowing that she was being nosy.

"I dunno," Christian said shortly. "Things just weren't working out." He looked at her and smiled, "But I'm _really_ glad we moved."

Ginny blushed, hoping she was that reason. They kept walking, and Ginny realized she wasn't much of a tour guide, as they were just walking around, not paying attention to anything.

"So I'm in Gryffindor," he stated looking at her. "How 'bout you?"

"Yeah, me too," she said smiling, "Okay, so tell me something about yourself."

"Well, I think all the teachers hate me," Christian said with a smile.

"Really?" Ginny asked. "Why?"

"Well, I arrived…" he said grinning, "in _style_."

"How?"

"I rode Nelly all the way here,"

"Who is Nelly?" she asked warily.

"My pet dragon," he replied casually while shrugging his shoulders. "I can take you to see her some day if you want."

Ginny stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth wide open.

"Pet dragon?!" she asked semi-hysterically.

"Yeah," Christian continued, loving the shocked expression on her face. She stared at him waiting for an explanation.

"Well," he began, "my father works with dragons, and about a year ago he got to work with Nelly. She was very obedient and learned easily. Dragons are naturally very bright creatures, but Nelly was passive too. So my father took the responsibility of training her." He glanced up to see her still gaping at him. _She looks so perfect_ he thought, looking at her and the way the lights from the candles lit up and darkened her face at the same time.

"Anyway," he continued, "she obeyed so well that she became a sort of pet." He stopped and laughed, "But the teachers here wouldn't believe that. They freaked out when I landed."

"I can imagine," Ginny said breathlessly. He gazed at her, still smiling at her shocked expression.

"Except," Christian said recalling earlier that day, "there was this one bloke, who nearly cried with excitement when he saw Nelly."

"Hagrid," Ginny said with a knowing smile. Christian looked at her quizzically.

"He loves dragons," she explained.

"Right," he said while looking down at his wristwatch. "Wow, how time flies! It's already nine."

"Wow, we've been-" Ginny stopped suddenly, guilt seeping through her body. "Crap!" she shouted smacking herself in the head.

"What?" Christian asked.

"I have to go," Ginny said backing away.

"Wait," he said with a frown and grabbed her arm. "Why?"

"I just gotta go," she said, wrenching her arm away from him. "I'll talk to you tomorrow!" she called over her shoulder. If Ginny would have looked back, she would've seen Christian Lander taking his anger which was caused by Ginny out on the stone wall.

* * *

"Malfoy?" Ginny called to the empty classroom. "Malfoy!" _He's not here!_

"Draco?" she called again half-heartedly. _He's going to be really pissed_ she thought to herself, smacking her head once again at her stupidity.

* * *

Draco woke up Saturday morning wondering why he felt so awful. Then it hit him. 

He'd gone to meet Weasley last night for her tutoring lesson, but she hadn't turned up. Draco actually waited for her for half an hour before he realized that she wasn't coming. He had been furious. _She_ had stood up _him_! _The little Weasel_ he thought miserably. The worst thing about the whole situation was that he had felt something other than anger. That at the moment he realized she wasn't coming, he hadn't been mad…he'd been sad. Draco didn't know why, and at first he denied it. But as he laid on his bed at night, he knew that it was true.

He had been devastated.

Why? Draco didn't know the answer to this question, and he wasn't about to start thinking about it for fear of what the truth might be. His mind kept racking over the possibilities of why she didn't show. He'd gone over the worst possibilities; the very idea of them drove him crazy.

Draco had to ignore the little voice in his head that kept asking him what he was doing. He couldn't stop thinking about Ginny, and he was pretty sure that he didn't care.

* * *

Ginny spent the weekend searching for Draco everywhere she went, but it seemed like he was determined to avoid her. She knew she had screwed up with him. It was odd…the thing she and Draco had. She knew she liked being around him, even when he was pissing her off, and she knew that there was more to him than everyone thought.

Why did she care? That was a good question that Ginny was determined not to answer.

All around her people were talking about Christian.

"He came here by dragon!" one girl squealed.

"I heard he's the prince of some distant country," another boy explained.

"He was kicked out of his last four schools because he was always dueling other students," a first year said quietly.

However crazy all the rumors were, one of them seemed to remain constant amongst the students. One idea or fact, seemed to be screaming at her from everywhere she went. The whispers: Christian Lander liked Ginny Weasley.

Ginny couldn't believe it, refused to believe it, but it really did seem to be true. When she ran into Christian he would smile serenely and start up a conversation. Unfortunately, Ginny was just a little too preoccupied trying to find Draco, and she had _no_ clue why. Christian Lander, the new kid, who had become as popular and as liked as Harry, had feelings for her. She should have been jumping up for joy, and a part of her was, except a larger part of her was just hoping that Draco wasn't too mad at her.

"Gin!" Ron called out across the grounds. It was Sunday afternoon, and Ginny had just given up with her search for Draco. At least she'd see him in class on Tuesday. Ginny barely looked back, but kept walking forward instead.

"GINNY!" he shouted even louder.

"What?" she sighed.

"Oh nothing really," he said casually. "I'm just _really_ proud of you."

Ginny looked at him in shock. Ron had never been straightforward with any of his positive opinions about her…if he even had any that is.

"Why?" she asked with a smile.

"Well, I dunno," he said looking at his feet sheepishly. "You've just been working really hard, and doing really well, and now Christian likes you, and-"

"Wait," she stopped him suddenly, looking at her brother incredulously. "You're proud of me because Christian _likes_ me?"

"Well, yeah," he admitted. "Christian is _such_ a cool kid. Just as popular as Harry, ya know? Well, it's just really cool that he likes _you_. _My_ sister. Yeah, just thought I should let you know. So, see you later, and keep up the good work!"

Ginny gaped at her brother as he trotted up to the castle. _How dare he!_ She thought furiously. He couldn't be proud of her for being smart and doing well in school, but he could be proud of her because some guy liked her. _He's horrible!_ Ginny was so furious that she stormed up to the castle to her dormitory and slammed the door, wishing things were different.

* * *

"_Please_ don't be mad at me," Ginny pleaded to a silent Draco. No matter what she did he stayed silent. The class was nearing its end, and Draco had not spoken a word to her the whole time. "Won't you say _anything?_" 

Nothing. He didn't even glare at her or make a snide remark. It was driving Ginny crazy.

"Look," she started to explain. "I just forgot! I got carried up in something, and before I knew it, it was way too late! I really am sorry!"

Draco saw her devastated expression from the corner of his eye. It was killing him to make her feel so distraught, but he was giving her what she deserved. He felt that way the whole weekend, so she should have to feel that way too, and the Christian thing didn't help either. Everywhere Draco had gone over the weekend people had been talking about Christian and Ginny. It was making him insane. Draco was more than jealous; he was glowing with green envy.

_What's so special about him anyway_ Draco thought miserably to himself. _He's nothing great. So he came by dragon, what's the big deal?_

"Don't be mad at me," Ginny begged once more. Draco knew that he wasn't talking to her for another reason other than how much she had hurt him just by ditching him. He was utterly afraid that Ginny would like Christian. Draco wouldn't talk to Ginny because he feared she'd desert him for Christian, which was really stupid, even he knew that. He should be sweeping her off her feet to keep her from him.

It was all just _too_ much for Draco. He hadn't slept the night before but had finally reached a conclusion: he liked Ginny. He liked her wary and shy smile, her warm, brown eyes, and the sprinkle of freckles that crossed her nose. He liked the way she made him feel, but he couldn't say how or why that was. There was something magical about her, something addicting, and he found himself wanting her more and more every second.

"I give up," she said sadly. "Nothing gets through to you. I apologized!" She said in _one_ last desperate attempt, "and you can't suck up your own pride to forgive me!"

Class ended, and Draco stormed away. Even though Ginny said she had given up, she wasn't about to let him go that easily. She followed him and kept on his tail, demanding that he speak to her. Finally, Draco said something.

"Fine!" he shouted, rearing around at her. "I'll say something! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

She shrunk back at his outburst, the hurt evident on her face.

"Do you really mean that?" she muttered quietly.

"Yes, I really mean it!" he said angrily and convincingly. Draco was about to storm away, but couldn't drag his eyes away from her. Her head was bent over in defeat and agony, and her shoulders were slumped. Slowly she sank to the floor, her worry and exhaustion overtaking her. Despite her self-control, Ginny started sobbing softly, not for just Draco but for everything.

Draco, who was watching her every move, felt a pang of guilt. _How could I do this to her? _With a sigh, he walked over and sat down next to Ginny.

"Look," he whispered softly, "I didn't mean it, I swear."

She still sobbed, not looking up at his face.

"Hey," he said using his hand to lift her chin up so he could stare into her beautiful, brown eyes. "It's okay, everything's going to be okay."

"No," she sobbed, "it's not…gosh, everything's so screwed up!"

"What?" he asked. "What's screwed up?"

"For one thing," she explained angrily, remembering Ron the other day, "my brother is a complete ass!"

"Well, I can't argue with you there," he said jokingly, which made her smile a little. "What else?"

"Err-" she hesitated and then chose her words carefully, trying to leave her feelings for Draco out of it, "the whole situation with Christian."

Draco froze at the sound of his name, but acted neutral and nonchalant as he asked, "What about Christian?"

"Well, I don't know if you've heard, but apparently he likes me, and…oh I don't know," she said, her sobbing subsiding. "He's nice and all, but I don't know."

Draco slightly smiled at her remark. _So she's not already head over heels for the kid,_ he thought,_ at least that's good_.

"Weasley," he said suddenly, "come with me."

"Wait," she said breathlessly, wiping the stray tears from her face, "where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he grinned maliciously.

"But don't you have another class?" Ginny asked indignantly.

"Psh," he said waving his hand at her, "it doesn't matter. Now, come on!"

Draco grabbed Ginny's hand bravely, and they went running down the deserted corridors and out to the grounds. Ginny had no idea what was going on, she was just concentrating on the feel of Draco's hand in hers.

"Alright," Draco said, "this is it."

They stopped in _the_ most magnificent garden that Ginny had _ever_ seen. She walked forward, staring in shock.

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"I know," Draco agreed. "I found it last year; it's Professor Sprout's private garden. She has all sorts of flowers and plants here."

Ginny looked at him skeptically.

"But there aren't any of her crazy I'm-gonna-kill-you plants here," he assured her, and she laughed. Her laugh sent warm tingles throughout his body. _How can she make me so happy?_ He wondered. _How does she do it?_

"Can we talk about something," Ginny said while flopping down into a patch of Spout Lilies. They were bright yellow flowers that omitted soft, warm bursts of air every minute or two.

"Like what?"

"I don't know," she said with a sigh. "Something exciting…something happy."

"Err-" Draco started, racking his mind for a topic. "We could talk about the ball," he offered.

"What ball?" Ginny said sitting up.

"What ball!" Draco said incredulously. "Have you been living under a rock this entire weekend!"

"Apparently," Ginny said, sliding closer to Draco. "What's this about a ball?"

"Well," he began, "it's in a week. Only 5th years and higher are allowed to attend. Unless, of course, an older student asks a younger one."

"Right," Ginny said impatiently, "now get to the good stuff!"

"It's a Black&White theme. All students _must_ wear either black or white, though I doubt they'd kick anyone out if they came wearing neon yellow or something."

"Hmm…" Ginny thought, then she frowned angrily.

"What?"

"I was just thinking," Ginny said through gritted teeth, "that my dearest brother would just _love_ if I went with Christian."

A flood of jealously flowed through Draco's body as he imagined Ginny dancing with Christian, but instead of showing his jealously he kept talking casually.

"So, remind me, why are you so pissed at your no-good brother?"

"_He_," Ginny said the word vehemently, "finally told me that he was proud of me."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Just wait for it," Ginny said slightly hysterical. "Ask me why he's proud of me."

Draco just looked at her; the look on her face was a mix of amusement and anger.

"Why is he proud of you?"

"Because," Ginny laughed, "Christian _likes_ me! He's finally proud of me because some guy likes me. He's totally unbelievable! I still can't believe he said that to me."

"Do you want to really piss him off then?" Draco asked Ginny.

"Yes!" she cried.

"Then find yourself a date to the ball," he explained, "that is definitely _not_ Christian, and make sure this person is someone your brother _really _hates."

"Like you?" she asked hesitantly.

Draco's heart quickened. Of course he meant him, but he didn't know she would realize that.

"Well, yes, your brother _does_ rather hate me doesn't he?" Draco said calmly, though he was unbelievably nervous.

"So that's a yes?" Ginny asked with a confidence that she didn't even know she possessed.

"Are you asking me to the ball, Miss Weasley?" Draco asked waggling his eyebrows.

"Yes," Ginny said with a smile, "_and_ it's Ginny. Not Miss Weasley, not Weasley, and definitely not Weasel."

Draco opened his mouth.

"And no variations of these names either!"

"Fine," he said giving in, "then you must call me The Almighty Amazingly Perfect and Handsome Draco Malfoy."

Ginny started to giggle as she rolled in the field of exotic flowers.

"Alright," Ginny said after she had caught her breath again. "The Almighty Amazingly Perfect-"

"And Handsome," Draco pointed out with a smile.

"_And_ Handsome Draco Malfoy, what is your answer?"

Draco hesitated. Could he really go to the ball with a Weasley? Be seen in public with her? He knew he shouldn't, and people would talk. But all those reasons flew from his mind as Ginny pouted with wide and innocent eyes.

"It _would_ piss off your brother," Draco admitted as he gazed at her longingly. "Sure, what the hell; I'll go with you to the ball."

Ginny grinned and rolled around in the flowers enjoying the warm sun and the comforting smells. She and Draco spent the rest of the day talking to each other like they had been best friends since they were born, not like enemies. When they had to leave, Ginny didn't want to go. She realized during their day that she liked Draco; she liked him _so_ much. She liked the way he made her smile and laugh and even when he made her slightly annoyed. Everything about him made her feel good.

But she had to go.

And so she went, gliding through the halls and to her bed where she fell to sleep and dreamt of Draco.

* * *

**A/N: **Yay, I'm done! Please leave me comments and suggestions: 


	5. Nonverbal Success

Chapter 5: Nonverbal Success

* * *

The next week could not have gone any slower for Ginny. She was looking forward to the upcoming ball more than she let on. On Tuesday, Ginny was practically dying to go to her charms class, but it was _not_ to see Draco…or that's what she kept telling herself anyway. 

After her third hour she rushed to class and sat down, waiting for Draco. When he walked into the classroom she couldn't help but smile. What was it that made her go weak in the knees around him? What was it that made her get butterflies in her stomach when he just smiled? Ginny decided to stop asking herself these questions; she would just accept that these things happened for a reason.

"Hey!" She said brightly as he sat down next to her. Draco opened his mouth to reply but was cut off.

"Hey, Gin!" Christian said coming up from behind them.

"Oh, hi, Christian," Ginny said with less enthusiasm than she had done with Draco. Christian noticed.

"So," he began, "I was just wondering what you're doing for the ball."

_Crap_ Ginny thought.

"Oh, well… I," she stalled, but thank goodness Flitwick waltzed in the classroom, and Ginny was saved from giving Christian an answer.

"Today, class," Flitwick said with enthusiasm, "we are going to work on human illusions!"

The class cheered with happiness. Everyone was getting sick of just illusioning water. They were all looking for something a little more complex, and this was exactly what they were hoping for.

"Human illusions," Flitwick explained, "are different than solid and liquid illusions. One reason is because there is no weak or strong illusion on humans; the strength of the spell doesn't matter. Solids and liquids are also non-living things, they require only concentration and a bit of skill. With humans though, you need one more element: cooperation. The other person, the one being illusioned, must cooperate with the caster. Otherwise, people would just go around illusioning others without their consent, and things would get messy. There would be people pretending to be other people, and it just wouldn't be good. Now, human illusions aren't really supported by many people because they constantly require cooperation between the subject and the caster. Once the illusion has been cast, only the caster can take it off. That's another reason why human illusions aren't favored by many witches and wizards."

Flitwick stopped and brought his wand to his head.

"However, the much easier way," he said with a wave of his wand, "is to just illusion yourself!"

The class gasped as their professor, a short, balding man, transformed into a tall, young, and handsome guy. He strutted at the front of the classroom and smiled a shining and dazzling smile.

"But," he said while taking off the illusion, "self-illusioning is _much_ more complex. First, we'll work on illusioning each other, and then maybe we'll do self-illusioning for a day or two. Now, begin!"

The class started rummaging around, and out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Christian making his way over to her.

"Oh, and class," Flitwick said, "illusioning is limited in certain areas. For one, you can't really illusion a person into some sort of animal. The illusion has to be somewhat human-like, but don't let that limit you. Have fun and be creative!"

"Hiya, Gin," Christian said as he neared her table. "I was wondering if maybe you'd want to partner with me for today."

"Err-" Ginny began, but Draco cut her off.

"Sorry, Lander," Draco said menacingly. "Ginny's my partner already."

Ginny threw Draco a look but wasn't going to disagree with him. Sure Christian was nice…and sweet…and cute…but that was beside the point. For some odd reason, she would rather work with Draco.

"I'm sorry, Christian," Ginny said apologetically. "I already said I would be partners with Draco."

"Right," he said as anger flooded through his body, "okay."

Draco smirked as he walked slowly back to his seat. _Yeah, keep walking, Lander. You aren't going to get anywhere near Ginny._

"Alright," Ginny said moving on, "let's start!"

"Fine, but I get to illusion you first," Draco demanded.

"No way am I going to let you illusion me!"

"Well, you have to," he pointed out with a smirk.

Ginny rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed. _What is he going to do to me?_ She wondered.

"Fine," she huffed, "but _please_ nothing too extreme!" She pleaded.

"Phf," he said sarcastically, "like I would ever do something extreme."

"Draco," Ginny said seriously, "_please_."

"Come on, Gin," he said copying her seriousness. "You can trust me."

_Did he just call me 'Gin'?_ She wondered astounded. Her nickname, and the way he said she could trust him convinced her to agree. She looked at him very seriously and then nodded her head. Draco raised his wand to her face, and screwed up his eyes in concentration. Ginny braced himself for whatever was about to happen.

"Okay," he said, "now you have to cooperate with me. Try to feel comfortable and confident, or else this isn't going to work,"

Ginny was trying to relax and to trust him, but she wasn't sure it was working. All of sudden she felt this extreme flow of magic, wrapping itself around her. Ginny shivered as the magic trickled over her body.

"You can open your eyes now," Draco said with a smile. Ginny hadn't even realized she'd closed her eyes; she must have been so nervous that she just did it automatically.

"What did you do to me?" she asked warily. Draco picked up the mirror off their table, and when Ginny looked at her reflection, she gave an involuntary yelp. She looked up at Draco who had a satisfied smirk on his face. Ginny looked back into the mirror to be sure of what she was seeing.

Ginny's curly, red hair had been cut short, too short, and was clumped together to form spikes that were protruding off her head.

"You did _not_ just mess with my hair," Ginny said, trying to be serious, but she was having difficulty at not laughing at her reflection.

"You don't like it, Ginny?" he asked, faking hurt. "I actually like it better than what you had," he said jokingly.

"Take it off," Ginny said.

"Only if you say you like it," Draco grinned.

"Malfoy," she warned.

"Say it."

"I will not!"

"Well, I'm not going to take it off unless you say you like it," he replied stubbornly.

"_Fine_," Ginny gave in. "I like it. Now will you take it off?"

Draco concentrated again, and Ginny could literally feel the magic being lifted. She picked up the mirror again to see her red, curly hair was back to normal.

"Now it's my turn," Ginny said evilly.

"You better not screw me up too much, Ginny," now it was Draco's turn to be nervous.

Ginny paused for a moment, wondering how she'd get back at him. Then she grinned.

"Oh, you'll love this," she smirked. "Now just cooperate with me."

She lifted her wand and concentrated. Ginny didn't feel like she needed to concentrate any harder than any of the other illusions she had done before. Before her eyes, Draco's hair grew down to his waist and turned a bright, bubble-gum pink color. Ginny erupted into a fit of giggles, and Draco peaked one eye open. He picked up the mirror, and his calm face flashed to shock.

"What the hell did you do to me?" he asked slightly angry.

"Aww, you don't like it?" Ginny asked laughing. "'I actually like it better than what you had earlier,'" she said quoting his words earlier.

Draco glared at her, but Ginny just kept laughing. Draco soon found his anger ebbing away as Ginny's face turned slightly pink from laughing.

"Alright, alright," he said trying to stop her from laughing. "Now undo it."

Finally, Ginny calmed herself and removed the illusion.

"Now, it's my turn again," Draco said.

He concentrated, and Ginny could feel the magic forming around her. When she looked in the mirror she started laughing. Her eyes, which were big and brown, had been transformed into mere slits with a golden-yellow iris that resembled a cat's. Her nose, which was a nice ski-slope shape, had been squashed to her face with her nostrils widened, so it resembled a pig's.

Ginny and Draco spent the rest of the hour cracking up at what they illusioned each other to be. They started out simple, illusioning only one or two things at a time but then moved on to multiple illusions. One time Ginny illusioned Draco to look just like her, with curly, red hair, and freckles. When he looked into the mirror he had been shocked beyond belief, but after the shock had passed, they both started cracking up. Then Draco illusioned Ginny to resemble a little old lady, with graying hair and wrinkling skin. Ginny first wanted to scream at her reflection, but the urge to laugh overcame her.

Occasionally they would just stop to look around the class, and they would watch the other students illusion each other. That would get them laughing too.

But what really cracked them both up, what made them spend the last ten minutes of class laughing, along with the other students, was the illusion Ginny put on Draco last. The idea hit her, and she couldn't help but do it. She concentrated, and right before her eyes, Draco Malfoy became Severus Snape. Ginny and Draco laughed _so_ loud that the other students looked over. When they saw their 'professor' sitting down at the table making silly and outrageous faces, they cracked up too.

The Snape illusion would've only been funny for five minutes tops, but right as the laughter was dying down, someone walked into the classroom. The class erupted in laughter for a second time as Professor Snape walked in and froze. He stared at his duplicate, and confusion was very apparent on his face. Draco, taking advantage of this opportunity, got up and faced Snape off. They faced each other awkwardly for a few minutes, and then Draco began copying every move the real Snape made. Snape was still clueless until he looked around the classroom to see an odd collection of bright hair colors, odd skin tones, over-sized limbs, and other crazy illusions.

"I see you're all learning illusions," he drawled, glaring at the class and Flitwick who hadn't been able to contain his laughter either.

"A bit slow, aren't we?" Draco drawled back, in the same voice.

The real Snape glared at him and demanded the illusion be removed. Slowly and still laughing, Ginny got up and removed the illusion, so Draco was standing in front of Snape, smiling hesitantly.

"Mr. Malfoy," Snape smirked, "and Miss Weasley, would you two be so kind as to see me tonight," he looked at them with pure hatred, "for detention."

With that, Snape stalked out of the classroom and shouted over his shoulder that they should be there at 7:00 sharp. Ginny was staring at the doorway in shock. _Me? Detention?_ She could hardly believe what happened.

"I can't believe him," Ginny said, packing up all her things. "He can't give us detention just for that!"

"I'm afraid he can, Ginny." Draco stated, not at all affected.

"But I've never had a detention before!" she admitted.

"Well, then," Draco said with a smile as he walked to the door, "you have no need to worry."

"Why's that?" she called after him.

"Because you'll be with me," he replied simply.

* * *

Ginny had never been more nervous in her life! She had never even come close to having a detention before! _At least Draco will be with me_ she reminded herself. Him being there with her was the only way she got herself through the rest of the day. 

"You ready?" Draco asked as he walked up to her. They were both standing outside Snape's office. Ginny nodded, but she wasn't; she was far from ready. Her heart was racing and her breath was ragged.

"Come on," he said tenderly, noticing the fear that was very apparent on her face. Hesitantly, he grabbed her hand and led her into the room.

Ginny's heart had been racing before, but at Draco's touch, it sent her heart speeding ten times faster. His hand was warm and soft, wrapping itself perfectly around Ginny's small one.

"You're late," Snape snapped at them, and Draco felt Ginny pull back as he snapped. Draco glanced down at his wristwatch. _By one minute_ he thought angrily.

"Today is simple," he sneered at them. "All you need to do is clean those jars over there." He pointed to the far side of the room. "They could be cleaned using magic, but there's something about having them scrubbed by hand that just makes all the difference."

_Yeah, there's a difference -the sweat, blood, and tears it takes to clean those things _Ginny thought angrily.

"Well then, don't just stand there," he snapped at them. "Get started!"

And Ginny was right. Cleaning out those jars, that had been filled with who knows what, was total hell. Some of the jars were crusting over while others were still gooey with substances that Ginny didn't want think about.

"This is _so_ disgusting!" Ginny complained only mere minutes later.

"You've got that right," Draco agreed, cringing as he started to tackle a new jar. Snape had given them dirty, old rags and a cleaning solution. Ginny looked at all the jars she'd cleaned: a total of three measly jars. She glanced at Draco's pile of clean jars and couldn't help but gape. He's cleaned at least ten jars already!

"At least you're good at it," Ginny said, slightly jealous.

"Right," Draco began sarcastically, "because being good at cleaning disgusting jars is something that I'm totally proud of."

Ginny couldn't help but laugh, and Draco smiled. How he loved it when she laughed; it made even the worst situations, like sitting in a dungeon and cleaning out gross jars, seem better. _Just hearing her laugh could lighten anyone's mood_ Draco thought.

"So," he started as he pulled another jar to him, "what are you going to wear to the ball?"

Ginny cringed. She hadn't even thought about that yet. What would she wear? She didn't own anything really nice, and she didn't have enough money to buy something nice either.

"I don't know," she sighed, frustrated over her own condition. Normally the situation never bugged Ginny, but in some instances it drove her crazy. She turned to Draco sadly, "I don't think I can go. I have nothing to wear."

Draco noticed Ginny's sadness and decided not to poke fun at her family's financial situation.

"I'm sure you can find _something_ to wear," he tried, but she just shook her head sadly.

"No, you don't get it," she sighed turning away. "When I say I have nothing to wear, it's because I really have _nothing_ to wear,"

"Well," he said with a smirk, "wear nothing!" She looked at him in shock. "And of course I'd have to dress to match, so we'd make an interesting scene."

That did it. Draco got Ginny trying to stifle her laughter, and she forgot all about her no-dress situation. Draco already had a plan forming in his head and smiled when he thought of what her reaction would be when the time came.

An hour or two passed, and Ginny and Draco were both getting sick of the jars. They talked a little for the time, but they mostly just sat in silence. Occasionally Ginny would squeak when a certain substance leaked onto her, and Draco would laugh. Then Snape would through them a look, and they would both retreat back into silence. Finally, Snape spoke to them, and told them that they were done. With a wave of his wand, Snape moved all the clean jars into a box.

"Take these to the potions classroom down the corridor," he told Draco. Draco magically lifted the box and walked out with it floating along behind him. Ginny took this time to talk to Snape.

"Professor," she said timidly, "I just wanted to apologize for my actions earlier today."

"There's no need to suck up to me, Miss Weasley," he snapped.

"No, I'm not sucking up," she tried again. "It was just very immature of me, and I shouldn't of done it."

He looked at her, his stare slightly softer.

"It was some impressive magic," he admitted quietly.

"Really?" Ginny asked lighting up at once. It meant a lot to her to get compliments from her teachers, especially Snape, who rarely if ever gave out compliments.

"Yes," he answered shortly. "It appears that you have a knack for illusions and charms as a whole."

"Sir?" she started hesitantly. There was a question that always floated through her mind when it came to illusions, but she never got her courage up to ask anyone about it. "Why are there limits on illusions?"

He stayed silent for a moment, and Ginny wasn't sure he had heard her.

"Why can't you create illusions without limits? Illusions that could be broken with only certain spells or that couldn't be broken at all, or even human illusions without using human-like characteristics?" she frowned, sure that she wasn't making sense and then added, "Like, how come a caster couldn't illusion a person to resemble a box or some creature? I just don't understand the whole idea of limits on magic in general."

Again, she waited for him to respond, but he just sat at his desk, scrawling on some parchment. Right when Ginny decided to give up, Snape spoke.

"In my opinion," he said without looking up, "there are no restrictions to magic at all. The restrictions and limits, they come into place because a witch or wizard does not posses the skill and ability to perform that bit of magic. They make up the excuse that the magic in that field is limited just because they can't perform it themselves."

"So," she said quietly, "if a witch or wizard was powerful enough or talented enough, then they could do anything? There wouldn't be any limits at all?" That didn't really seem right to Ginny.

"Not necessarily," he spoke again. "When there are those handful of witches and wizards that are extremely powerful and talented, they can do extraordinary things. However, in those cases, their strengths eventually become their weaknesses. It takes genuine ability to be able to perform anything a witch or wizard may want, and that happens rarely if not ever."

Ginny stood quietly, leaning on a nearby table and letting what her professor said sink in. _No limits?_ She wondered, astounded at the idea of a world without limits. Just then Draco waltzed back into the room.

"You may go," he said with a wave of his hand. Draco grabbed Ginny's hand, without hesitation this time, and Ginny felt herself smile. When they were at the door, her professor told her one last thing.

"Miss Weasley," he said, this time looking up at her. "Don't ever let the world stop you from what you can do. Don't let anyone or anything limit you."

He looked down again, as if everything he said had never come out of his mouth. Ginny smiled, and when Draco looked at her quizzically she just shook her head.

"Come on," she said with a satisfied smile. "Let's go!"

They walked out of the room, hand and hand, and down the corridor. When they both had to go their separate ways, neither of them wanted to let the other go. Ginny could see Draco hesitate when he finally let her hand go, and Ginny watched sadly as Draco descended down towards the Slytherin common room. She looked back and forth from the path Draco had taken to the path she would soon follow. It seemed to Ginny, that's what she was being given. She knew now that Draco had _some_ kind of feelings for her, but she wasn't sure what she would do. Of course she liked him too, but how would things work?

Should she follow his path? Hang out with the Slytherin's, take risks, and live the life of luxury while she was with Draco? _That is if he actually wants me_ she thought to herself. Or she could remain on the path she'd been following her whole life, the safe and reliable path that would lead to a bland but tolerable life.

Ginny sighed in frustration and stormed up to her dormitory. She was awake for only a few minutes, and she thought about how life had been only a few weeks ago. She thought about how she used to go out late at night just to cry her sadness out of her, and she thought about how she had to lock away all emotion and feeling so she wouldn't show too much. _How did that all change so quickly?_ But Ginny knew that there was one person who had truly helped her: Draco.

She smiled to herself and thanked him in her mind for everything he had given to her. Even if he wouldn't like her, and even if he didn't want anything to do with her, he had shaken her out of her coma-like life. He had pulled her back from her barely-there existence. She owed him for that, and she knew it.

* * *

Once Draco got to his dormitory, he quickly grabbed some parchment and a pen. Quickly, he jotted down his request and then tied the parchment to his owl's leg and sent it off. Draco prayed that his letter would get there fast and that a package would be sent back to him before the end of the week. With that, Draco flopped down on his big, comfy bed. He knew he liked Ginny now. He knew that it wasn't just some stupid feeling, and he knew that she wasn't like any of the other girls he'd been with. She was _so_ different, and he liked that about her. 

Slowly he drifted off to sleep, a smile playing on his lips, and he dreamt of a world where Ginny and him could be together happily and peacefully. It was the most fulfilling and deep sleep that Draco had ever had.

* * *

The rest of the week was uneventful. In charms, they continued to work on human illusions, and Ginny could constantly feel the magic flowing around her. Then it strengthed so Ginny could feel the magic around the room. She could sense when the magic would layer itself onto someone or pull itself away. It was _the_ most amazing feeling that Ginny had ever felt. 

She had always been able to feel the magic, to sense it, but lately it had been heightened. She used to only get tingles from the magic she performed, but now she felt a full on onslaught when she performed a spell. It was utterly amazing.

After class on Wednesday, Christian cornered her.

"Hey, Gin," he started. "I know it's a little too late, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to the ball with me?"

He looked at her expectantly, but she hesitated.

"Well, Christian," she muttered, and she could see him tense up, "like you said, it is late, and well…someone already asked me, and I've already said yes." She looked up to see him containing his anger and flinched. She could feel his aura, and it felt like it was pounding her. His demeanor was no longer warm and inviting like it had been the first night she'd talked to him. It was now cold and frightening, and it made Ginny back up in fear.

"Fine," he said through clenched teeth, and Ginny sighed in relief as he walked away.

"He looked like he was going to kill you," Draco said from behind her. She turned around and smiled. She should have known that he would stay to see what happened. Though he hid it well, Draco was always jealous when Christian talked to her, and Ginny couldn't help but smile. She liked the idea that he cared if another guy had feelings for her.

"And if he attacked?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I would defend you of course!" he said heroically while hitting into a statuesque pose. Ginny erupted into laughter, and she could sense Draco smiling at her.

"So," he asked, slightly more serious, "do you want to work on your nonverbal magic again?"

Ginny cringed. Flitwick had reminded them that on Friday they would be working on their nonverbal magic.

"Do I have to?" she whined, but he only smiled.

"Yes," he replied. "So why don't we meet in here after dinner?"

She nodded sadly.

"And no standing me up this time, okay?" he stated.

"Right," she said.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

"I really don't want to do this," she complained as she sat down on the table. 

"Come on, Gin," he said, and she smiled at the sound of her nickname. Somehow, he said it much better than anyone else. "Once you get it down," he explained, "you can do it with anything!"

"Fine," she huffed.

"Okay, relax," he coached. "Mentally hear yourself saying the spell. Hear it like you're actually saying it aloud. Come on now, concentrate."

Ginny screwed up her eyes in concentration. _Wingardium Leviosa. Wingardium Leviosa. Wingardium Leviosa_ she mentally chanted, and when she thought she was ready she thought it one more time.

"Open your eyes, Gin," Draco ordered.

Slowly she opened her eyes to see her book floating serenely above the table. Before she could jump up in excitement, Draco interrupted.

"Concentrate," he ordered. "Don't let it fall. Control it, control the spell,"

And Ginny did. She moved the book around the classroom in circles and up and down.

"I can't believe I did it!" she exclaimed after she lowered the book down onto the table.

"Great job," he said as he patted her on the back awkwardly.

She stared up at him, her eyes full of appreciation and happiness. _Lord, she's beautiful_ he thought, and he almost said it aloud but held back just barely.

"Thank you, Draco," she said softly, "for everything."

He looked at her, wondering what else she was talking about, but didn't say anything. "You're welcome, Gin."

Before she knew what she was doing, Ginny wrapped her arms around Draco in a hug. She felt his arms wrap automatically around her waist and pull her closer to him. They stood like that for a length of time, neither of them wanting to let go, but finally Draco pulled away. Ginny cringed inwardly as she felt the warmth from his body leave hers.

"Well," he said quietly, staring into her brown eyes, "let's keep working then."

"Okay," she agreed, equally as quiet.

For the rest of the hour they practiced, Ginny was able to do almost every bit of nonverbal magic she tried. Sometimes it took her one or two times, but she didn't let that bring her down. She wouldn't allow herself to be limited, and what made everything better was when she realized that no matter what they were doing, Draco found some way to be close to her whether it was resting a comforting hand on her shoulder or lightly touching her hair with his hands.

When it was time to go, both of them hung around expectantly, hoping for something more to happen. But neither of them made a move, and it was getting late. So they walked away and then they each took their own paths. Ginny watched Draco go his way, and she went hers.

* * *

When Friday charms class came, Ginny was more than ready to prove her ability. She concentrated and levitated the book that was in front of her. She watched it move up and down, circling around a smiling Draco, and then setting itself back in its spot. 

"Well done, Miss Weasley!" Flitwick squeaked at her, and she beamed at him.

"You're amazing, Ginny," Draco said to her, and he saw a blush creep up her cheeks.

"Thanks, Draco," she said still beaming, "but you're much better at it than me."

"I told you," he stated, "that once you can do it for one spell, it's not much harder to do it with different spells. You'll be just as good as me, if not better, in no time," he promised.

"Hey," he said, changing the topic, "do you want to meet me after dinner tonight?"

"For another lesson?" she asked hopefully; she loved spending time with Draco.

"No," he said, and Ginny frowned, "but I want to give you something,"

"What?" she asked confused.

"Just say you'll be there," he said with a coy smile.

"Okay," she agreed hesitantly.

"Great!" he exclaimed, and Ginny found herself smiling. The rest of the hour Ginny and Draco worked on their nonverbal magic. Draco, who was already great at it, and Ginny, who was getting better at it every time she performed a spell, were both enjoying themselves. When class was over, they waved each other goodbye, and both of them spent the rest of the day thinking about after dinner.

_She's going to love this_ Draco thought happily.

* * *

It was before dinner, and Ginny was sprucing up in the girl's bathroom. She wanted to look her best for Draco. She put the final touches on her make-up and hair, which she hadn't changed _that_ much, but there was a huge difference since she showed some effort to look presentable. 

"Why do you look so nice?" Ron questioned her when she waltzed down the stairs, humming a merry tune. "And why are you so happy?"

"Is it a crime to look nice or to be happy?" she shot at him. She was still rather mad at him.

"Christian told me you said 'no' to him when he asked you to go to the ball with him," he stated unhappily. Ginny sighed.

"I didn't say 'no' to him," she explained, trying to control her anger. "I already said 'yes' to someone else!"

She kept walking to the door, her good mood ruined by her stupid brother.

"Stop it right there," he ordered. "Who are you going with?"

"It's none of your business who I'm going with!" she shouted at him in rage.

"Ginevra Weasley!" he shouted, equally as mad. "Tell me who you're going with this instant!"

"NO!"

"You know what," Ron yelled, getting angrier by the second, "If you don't tell me, then I'll write to mom! If you won't tell me-"

But before he could say anything else, Ginny had concentrated hard and flicked her wand. Ron never saw anything coming because Ginny hadn't said anything. She smiled to herself and gave herself a compliment on the nonverbal _Silencio_ charm she performed. _Oh, how I love nonverbal magic_ Ginny thought happily.

* * *

Ginny couldn't eat her dinner any faster, and when she was done, she rushed off to meet Draco. When she flew into the classroom, he was already there with two boxes. They were both rectangular, but one was thinner than the other. 

"Hey Ginny," he said smiling happily.

"Hi Draco," she said back. "What are those?" she asked, pointing to the boxes.

"Well," he began with a little hesitation, "since you told me that you have nothing to wear to the ball and because the teachers would be slightly upset if we arrived in the nude, I decided to go ahead and get you a dress."

"Oh, Draco," she said with both sadness and happiness, "you really didn't have to. I mean, you shouldn't have! I'll never be able to pay you back! No, I can't accept it."

"Ginny," he said very seriously, "I bought this, not because I had to. We still could've shown up naked, and that would've been fine with me." He smirked, and Ginny smiled. "No, I bought you this because I wanted to."

She looked up at him remorsefully, but he was just smiling at her.

"Ginny," he started softly, "you're an amazing person, even though you have little, you deserve the world, and since I couldn't give you the world, I decided a dress would do just fine."

"Draco," she argued feebly, but he put his finger to her lips. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as he moved his hand to her neck and pulled her in close. Ginny looked up into his steely, gray eyes, then down to his lips that were nearing hers, and when the moment seemed to last too long, when it seemed like he was just going to pull away, he leaned forward and kissed her. Wrapping his other arm around her waist, he kissed her like he would never get to kiss her again. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck, and the kiss deepened. She tightened her arms around Draco, knowing that she _never_ wanted to let him go.

"So, you'll take the dress?" he asked softly, pulling away from her. Ginny nodded and pulled him close again for another kiss. Honestly, Ginny would've said anything just to feel his lips against hers one more time.

They spent what seemed like only minutes, arms wrapped around one another, lips pressed together, until they had to go. When they both had to go their own ways, they said goodbye with another heated kiss, which was just as tender and sweet as the others.

Ginny floated up to her room, both boxes in hand, and sprawled onto her bed, not bothering to even look at the dress. She wanted to remember what it felt like to have Draco's lips against hers. She wanted to remember the sensation she felt when he pulled her in close. Eventually she drifted to sleep and dreamt pleasant dreams of kissing Draco and nothing else.

* * *

**A/N:** Keep reading and reviewing please! 


	6. A Ball to Remember

Chapter 6: A Ball to Remember

* * *

Ginny woke to a beautiful sunrise on Saturday morning. Autumn was in full swing now, and the trees in the Forbidden Forest were turning all sorts of colors. There were oranges, reds, yellows, and browns all sporadically spread out amongst the trees. Slowly getting up, Ginny noticed the two boxes casually tossed on the floor next to her four-poster bed. She smiled to herself, remembering what happened last night. 

Jumping happily from her bed, Ginny picked up the two boxes. She set the smaller box to the side and turned her attention to the bigger rectangle. With slight hesitation, Ginny lifted its lid.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered breathily. Hands shaking, she picked up the silky, black dress that was sitting serenely in its cardboard box. The dress was _the_ most gorgeous thing that Ginny had ever seen in her life! It's black silk was sleek and elegant. Holding the dress to her body, Ginny walked over to the mirror. The cut of the dress was perfect. It fell to just above Ginny's knees, a height that wasn't too short, but was short enough to show off her well-toned legs. The top had a neckline that plunged low but not too low, and wrapped daintily around her neck, halter style.

Ginny shimmied out of her clothes with excitement and stepped into the dress. When she turned back to the mirror, she caught her breath. Staring back at her wasn't some shy nobody, but an outgoing and-if she did say so herself-beautiful woman. If the dress looked good normally, then it looked _great _on Ginny. Ginny twirled in her new dress in front of the mirror for a while before she realized that she still had another box to open.

She practically skipped over to her bed to retrieve the other box. This time she tore through the package. Inside was a pair of simple, black, open-toed heels. Ginny squealed with delight but stopped abruptly remembering her sleeping roommates. She slipped on the shoes, which fit perfectly by the way, and went back to the mirror to admire her reflection. The heels weren't crazily tall, but were perfect enough to make a slight difference.

_I look beautiful _Ginny thought to herself. And it was true. The black dress wasn't skimpy, but it wasn't what you'd want your mom to see you in either. Any way, it fit her beyond perfectly. It looked even better with her fair skin as a backdrop. Then to top it all off, Ginny's red curls hung long and sexily below her shoulders. She hardly recognized herself.

"Wow, Ginny," Veronica said sleepily. Ginny turned around to see one of her roommates waking up and staring at Ginny openly. "You look beautiful!" she exclaimed, still a bit groggily.

Ginny just beamed at the girl, at a loss for words. She went and sat back down on her bed dreamily. _Draco bought all this for me!_ Ginny reached back into the last box, noticing a piece of parchment still in there.

_Dear Ginny,_

_I hope you like the dress. I know it will look good on you, even if you hate it. Can't wait for tonight, but meet me in the Charms classroom before you go to the ball. I'll meet up with you there at 6:00, and we can head down to the Great Hall together. I can't wait to see you! I'll be counting down the minutes until I get to be with you again._

_Draco_

Ginny's heart leapt. _He can't wait to see me!_ She thought excitedly. What was happening between her and Draco felt like a huge dream. The whole time Ginny had been floating, not really sure that what was happening was reality. It was all too good to be true. Seriously, how could she, a Weasley, manage to feel something other than hatred towards him, a Malfoy, and how could it ever work out? There were too many obstacles in their way.

She sighed, depressed at the revelation that she truly always knew: that it wouldn't work out. _I'll have to tell him today_ she thought, miserably, _sometime before the ball._ Maybe if she told him soon enough, he would have time to ask some other girl to the ball. Jealously flooded through her at the thought of Draco being with someone like Pansy. _Oh well_ Ginny gave up. It could never work anyway.

Ginny got out of the dress and placed it gently back into its package along with her new shoes. Then she showered and got changed, planning to search for Draco to break the news to him. She'd look for him for the whole day if she had to. With that last thought, Ginny made her way down to the Great Hall, more depressed than she had been for a long time.

* * *

Luckily for Ginny, Draco was seated at the Slytherin table eating happily with his friends. When he looked over he saw the stationary Ginny and waved to her. Ginny didn't have the nerve to wave back…actually she really couldn't do anything. Her body seemed glued to the spot, and her mind was utterly blank. But before she knew it Draco was getting up and making his way towards her. When he got close to her, he grabbed her hand in front of everyone and led her out of the Great Hall. 

"Gin!" he said snapping his fingers, "Hello? Anyone in there?"

She snapped out of it, and turned to look at him. He was smiling at her sweetly and shyly, something that Malfoy never did.

"Did you like the dress?" he asked her eagerly.

"Err-" she began, now hesitating in the plan she'd created that morning, "Draco, listen-"

"You don't like it?" he asked clearly very disappointed, "Oh! It didn't fit right, did it?"

"No, no," she said quickly. "The dress…it was beautiful and just perfect. Its just…" She trailed off.

"What is it Ginny?" he asked tenderly. She looked into his soft and caring eyes…_big_ mistake. He stared softly yet directly at her, into her own eyes, melting her skepticism away, and shoving her sadness aside.

"Nothing," she said, with a semi-forced smile. "I'm fine."

"Good," Draco replied beaming at her. "Now," he began, glancing at his wristwatch, "I have to go, but I can't wait until tonight. I'll meet you in the charms class at 6:00. Okay?"

"Okay," she nodded in agreement. With that, he bent down and kissed her cheek, then walked away. Ginny watched his figure fade down the corridor and then around the corner, her hand pressed to the spot on her cheek where he kissed her. _What are you doing, Ginny?_ She mentally scolded herself. _You can't do this. You just can't._

Ginny's skepticism had returned, but she still couldn't wait for tonight, half in anticipation and half in fear.

* * *

Despite everything, Ginny got dressed and spruced herself up before meeting Draco. Part of her wanted to enjoy the night, and the other part of her just wanted to disappear into the shadow of her old, invisible lifestyle. Walking down the stairs, Ron stopped her. 

"What's going on between you and Malfoy?" he demanded.

She looked up at him, glaring with all the ferocity that she could muster. "It's none of your business, _Ronald_," she spat at him.

"What the hell are you doing, Ginny?" he asked. This time, it was more out of sadness than anger. She stared into his eyes, no longer filled with rage but with compassion instead.

"I can take care of myself," she told him softly.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," she answered confidently, but that was far from how she was feeling.

"He's a _Malfoy_, for goodness sakes!" Ron shouted, his anger returning. "Don't you _dare_ get mixed-up with him!"

"Goodbye, Ron," she said sadly, turning her back on him and walking out the door. Before Ron could retaliate, she was already walking swiftly down the corridor ready to meet Draco.

* * *

When Ginny walked in, Draco gaped at her openly. She smiled to herself, noticing him look her up and down. 

"Why, hello to you too." She smirked at him.

"Err-" he said, trying to gain back his composure. "Hiya, Gin," he greeted breathlessly. _Gosh, she's beautiful_ he thought, looking her up and down again.

"Enjoying the view _that_ much?" She asked slyly. In truth, she was practically gawking and Draco too. He looked _amazing_. The black of his dress robes went so well with his skin and blond hair. He looked sleek and sexy, and Ginny could barely contain herself.

"I have something for you," he said, finally pulling his eyes from her body, which was shown off pretty well because of the form-fitting dress.

"Not something else!" Ginny argued. "Draco, I can't accept anything else! You've already given me more than enough!"

"One last thing," he assured her with a heart-melting smile. "Now, close your eyes."

Ginny did, her heart beating faster and faster as she felt the warmth from his body behind her. She felt him wrap something around her neck and felt it drop against her chest.

"Open your eyes."

Ginny slowly opened her eyes and looked down. She gasped. Around her neck, was a beautiful silver necklace with an amber gem that matched her hair and eyes only too well.

"Oh my gosh, Draco," she breathed. "It's beautiful!" She brought her shaking fingers to it, feeling the stone to make sure it was real. The amber gem gleamed up at her brightly, and Ginny sighed.

"Draco, this must have cost a fortune!" she exclaimed. "I _really_ can't accept this."

"Ginny," he said calmly taking both her hands in his own, "You _can_ accept it, and you _will_. You deserve it." He leaned forward giving her a light kiss on the lips that still sent butterflies through Ginny's stomach.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," he answered and then with more enthusiasm said, "Now let's get to that ball!"

"Okay," she agreed smiling up at him. They held hands as they floated on over to the Great Hall, but once they got there Ginny stopped.

"I can't do this," she declared.

"Come on, Gin," Draco urged. "Sure you can."

"No, Draco," she said desperately, "you don't understand. Ron's just inside there!"

"And?" He asked without a care.

"And he'll _kill_ me if he sees me with you," she declared. "Actually," she said as an afterthought, "he'll probably kill _you_, but I don't want that to happen either!"

"Well, what do you want to do then?" Draco asked slightly irritated.

"I don't know," she said softly, and they stood there for a moment in the tense silence.

"Wait," Draco said, an idea forming in his head. "I could illusion you!"

"What?" Ginny asked.

"An illusion, silly!" he said, nudging her lightly. "I could put an illusion on you so your ass of a brother won't notice you!"

"Draco!" she said excitedly. "That's brilliant!"

"Phf," he scoffed. "I know I am."

"Come on, then," she said, pulling him around the corner and into a nearby bathroom. "You better not make me ugly!" she warned him.

"No one could _ever_ make you ugly," he told her sweetly, and she smiled. Ginny relaxed as Draco brought his wand to her, and once again, she could feel the magic forming itself around her, making her tingle from its warmth.

"Okay," he declared. "I'm done."

Ginny rushed quickly to a mirror and gazed at her reflection. The girl who stared back at her was _definitely_ not anything close to Ginny. Her long, red, curly hair was now brown and straight. It was the same length, but she now had side-swept bangs. Her eyes had changed from creamy brown to ocean-like blue, but she still had the same spread of freckles that sprinkled across her nose. What she noticed most was her chest: it was at least three times as big.

"Draco!" Ginny cried spinning around to see him grinning at her.

"Come on, Gin," he said with a smirk. "You don't like them?"

"Fix it," she seethed, and Draco knew better than to keep teasing her. Quickly he reduced her breast size…but not that much.

"Better?" he asked.

"It'll have to do," she said with a sigh, still examining her chest. _At least I fill the dress out better now_ she thought, trying to be positive.

"Now let's go party!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand and dragging her back to the Great Hall.

It was _so_ amazing. Ginny walked into the ball, hand in hand with Draco, and not one person gawked at her. Even when they passed her brother and Harry, who were sitting at an abandoned table, she wasn't recognized. They didn't see who she really was, but they did throw her dirty looks. They both exchanged some rude comments with Draco, but he didn't even bother with them. He just pulled Ginny closer to him and smirked at the abandoned losers.

The whole dance was one big blur to Ginny. She and Draco danced almost the whole time, their bodies getting sweatier every song. They stopped to eat once and to get drinks a couple more times, but they mostly let the music control their bodies. They danced close together, swaying with the beat of the music. Ginny was having the time of her life. She had _never_ felt so alive and so happy. How could just being with Draco make her feel that way? It didn't matter; it was just the most amazing sensation Ginny had ever felt.

"I wonder where Ginny is," a voice said from behind her. She spun around quickly to see Ron standing with Hermione and Harry.

"Is she even coming?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Ron said. "I saw her dressed and everything only right before the ball."

Quickly, Ginny dragged Draco over to a deserted corner, fear flooding through her.

"You have to disillusion me!" she ordered, and Draco frowned. "It'll only be for a minute or two! I promise! I just have to let Ron see me here. Otherwise he'll get suspicious, and then he'll go to my mom, and _everything_ will be ruined!" She explained in one big breath.

"Alright," he agreed, "but only for a minute."

Ginny felt the magic lifting from her and looked down to see her red curls falling over her shoulders. She ran off quickly to speak with the trio.

"Hi guys!" she said with enthusiasm as she ran up to them. "Some dance, isn't it?"

"Oh, hey Gin!" Hermione exclaimed. "We were just wondering about you."

"Really?" Ginny asked, playing along. "Why?"

"We were just wondering where you were, that's all," Harry explained and then eyed her up and down. "Man, Gin! You look incredible!"

Ron nudged Harry rather hard and looked at Ginny suspiciously.

"Yeah, she does," a voice agreed with Harry from behind Ginny. She spun around to see Christian standing behind her, his eyes roaming freely. "So where's your date, Ginny?"

"Err-" Ginny began.

"Not around?" Christian cut in. "Perfect! Would you like to dance with me then?"

Ginny hesitated and looked quickly back to Draco who was glaring at Christian's back.

"I…I really shouldn't," she stammered.

"Come on, Ginny," he begged. "It's just one dance!"

"Ginny," Ron said threateningly. "One dance won't kill you."

Again she glanced back at Draco, who was now sitting angrily in one of the many chairs.

"I guess-" she started to agree.

"Great!" Christian shouted and grabbed her arm, pulling her out on to the dance floor. During the length of the dance, Ginny kept stealing glances at Draco who was eyeing both of them angrily. While they were dancing, Christian kept letting his hands fly all over her body, and Ginny had to garb them and remove them from where they were traveling. When it was over, Ginny made to rush off, but Christian grabbed her wrist.

"How 'bout we get out of here?" he asked, lust shining from his eyes.

"How 'bout not," Ginny said trying to wrench her hand away.

"You _don't_ say 'no' to me, Ginny," he warned threateningly as he tightened his grip on her wrist.

"Let go of me, Christian," she ordered.

"Or you'll what?" he smirked.

"Or _I'll_ have to kick your ass," Draco said coming up to the both of them. Christian looked at Draco who was glaring at him, his wand in his hand ready for a fight. Christian hesitated and then finally let Ginny go.

"Fine," he scoffed. "You win for now." With that he stormed away, pushing people out of his way as he went.

"Oh Draco," Ginny began, but when she turned Draco was leaving her too. "Draco!" she shouted running to catch up with him.

"Get away from me," he growled.

"Draco, listen," she tried to explain, but Draco wouldn't listen.

"I said," he warned, his voice rising, "to get away from me!"

"Come on, Draco!" Ginny begged. They were now walking down the corridors in the direction of the Slytherin common room. "I didn't want to dance with Christian! I really didn't! He just came out of nowhere, and before I knew it we were on the dance floor!"

"_And_," he snarled, "his hands were just roaming freely _all_ over your body!"

"But I didn't let him!" she said, trying to explain herself. "I kept trying to make him stop, but he just wouldn't! _Please_, Draco. Just believe me!"

"Why don't you just go back to _Christian_," he said the name with hatred, "and then you can leave me alone."

"But I don't want to be with Christian!" she exclaimed and grabbed his arm to stop him. With much effort Ginny was able to hold him in place. She faced him and looked straight into his eyes. "I want to be with you, Draco," she whispered, her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

He stared at her, torn between leaving her in the deserted corridor and kissing her. His pride had been hurt, and he wasn't the happiest person at that moment. Eventually he decided to go with the second. Grabbing her around the waist quickly, Draco pulled her near. She squeaked in surprise but welcomed his kiss anyway. The kiss was sweet and passionate, and it told both of them how much they wanted each other.

"I want to be with you too," Draco admitted when he finally pulled away. "Come with me," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her in the opposite way they were going. They went through corridors and up staircases, a path Ginny had never followed before.

"Where are we going?" Ginny said hesitantly. She knew she liked Draco a lot, but she had no idea what he was planning.

"Trust me, Gin," he said, still pulling her along, and she let him. Soon enough they were both standing in front of a portrait of a gallant, stark white centaur.

"Where are we?" Ginny asked turning to look at Draco, but he didn't answer her.

"Porridge Swerp," he said, and the portrait swung forward. Draco climbed in and turned to Ginny expectantly. Slowly she followed him into a spacious room, with a few couches, and a burning fire in the hearth. "This," he said with a grin, "is the Head Boy and Head Girl common room!"

Ginny had completely forgotten that Draco was the Head Boy. Ron had complained about it enough over the summer that she should have remembered, but somehow, it had escaped her mind.

"And this," he started, leading her to an adjoining room, "is my room."

Ginny peaked in to see a tidy, white room, accented with three colors: silver, black, and green.

"Come here," he said sitting down on his bed, which had silky black sheets, and a black comforter, with black pillows.

"Draco," Ginny began. She wasn't sure she was ready to do what she thought he was implying.

"Gin," Draco said reassuringly, "I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do." He stared into her eyes, and Ginny could see that he was telling the truth. She made her way over to him and sat down gently by his side. "See," he said with a smile. "I don't bite."

"Oh really?" Ginny smirked. "And what if I do?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Draco looked at Ginny in shock at her boldness.

Recovering quickly, he said, "All the better," and grabbed her body, pressing it to his own, and kissing her hard. This kiss wasn't like the others. It wasn't soft or sweet; it was intense and lustful. It was a kiss of two people who wanted nothing more than to be with each other. The kiss hardened, and they leaned back on to the bed. Their bodies were meshed together, still sweaty from dancing, and they were totally focused on one another.

"Draco," Ginny breathed in between kisses.

"What?" he whispered back, his hands traveling to unzip her dress.

"I can't do this," she said sitting up abruptly. Ginny sighed and looked down at Draco. He stared up at her longingly but just sighed.

"It's okay, Ginny," he said calming her. "It really is." He lifted his hand to her soft, red curls, and stroked her hair softly. Slowly, Ginny laid back down and faced Draco. They laid like that, bodies close and staring into one another's eyes, until Ginny drifted off to sleep. He pulled a stray curl away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Tenderly, Draco pulled the blanket over the both of them and wrapped his arms around her tiny body.

"Ginny?" he asked quietly. No response.

He kissed her on top of the head and murmured, "I love you." With that, he pulled her body closer to him, and drifted off to sleep as well. Ginny smiled to herself, hearing what he just said and replaying it over and over in her head. _He loves me_ she thought happily, and with that peaceful and comforting thought, Ginny fell to sleep too.

* * *

**A/N:** You like it? 

**Read** and **review** to find out more!


	7. The Girl Who Cries

Chapter 7: The Girl Who Cries

* * *

Draco woke slowly, wondering why he felt so good inside. Then he saw the red head, fast asleep in his arms. Smiling, Draco pulled Ginny's body closer to him, and she snuggled up against him.

"Good morning to you too," she mumbled groggily. He smiled watching her spin around to face him. She looked even more beautiful, with her hair disheveled and all over the place.

"You're beautiful," he murmured to her quietly, and Ginny's face lit up.

"Why thank you," she said happily and leaned forward to give him a light kiss on the lips.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked with smile.

"Yes," she answered, not being able to contain the blush that was flooding to her cheeks. Ginny knew that it didn't matter where she slept, but if she were lying next to Draco, then she'd always sleep peacefully.

"Well, are you hungry then?" Draco asked, and Ginny nodded eagerly. "Stay here," he ordered.

"Wait," she said watching him get up, about to leave the room. "Where are you going?" she asked with concern.

"Don't worry," he assured her with a grin. "I'll be right back," and he disappeared out the door. Ginny sighed and flopped back down onto the bed. Smiling into the pillow, Ginny remembered everything that happened last night. How Christian had been such a jerk and how Draco had stepped in. Then how she assured Draco that she only cared about him, not Christian. Grinning even more, she remembered Draco's last words to her: 'I love you.' Of course she wouldn't say anything. Ginny was sure that she wasn't meant to here his confession that he had mumbled last night.

"I'm back," Draco said while entering the room. Following behind him was a table that he had floating along in his wake. The table was loaded with all sorts of breakfast snacks. There were fruits, eggs, toast, pancakes, bacon, waffles, sausages, and anything else you could imagine.

"Draco!" she squealed in delight, jumping up from the comfy bed. "Where did you get all this?" she wondered.

"It just so happens," Draco said with a grin, "That the Head Boy/Head Girl room has a secret pathway to the kitchens. If you pop down there, the house elves will give you anything you want." He smiled at her as she dove into the waffles. "Convenient, eh?"

"Why would you ever even leave here?" Ginny asked, referring to the amazing room.

"Well," he said seriously, "there's one person that I would miss terribly."

Ginny blushed as he said this, and stood up to give him a sticky kiss, which left syrup all over his lips. She giggled to herself as he wiped it away with his tongue, and then she sat back down again. This time she pulled the bowl of fruit over to her. Popping some cantaloupe into her mouth she turned her attention back to Draco.

"So what do you want to do today?" she asked hesitantly. Maybe he still wasn't ready to be seen in public with her. Hell, she didn't even know if she was ready herself.

"Well," he said grinning, glad that she had been the one to ask that question. "I thought maybe we could just wander around today. You know, just walk the grounds and possibly in the school. Then we could come back here and snuggle next to the fire," he said waggling his eyebrows.

Ginny giggled and beamed at him. "Sounds great!" she replied.

Draco moved closer to Ginny, ready to kiss her, when they heard a knock on the door.

"Malfoy!" someone shouted, and Ginny froze in panic. She recognized that voice; it belonged to a certain brunette whose name just happened to be Hermione. How could she forget that Hermione was the Head Girl? Quickly, Ginny jumped up and ran to the closet. Draco just laughed. He would've loved it if Granger would've found them there together, but he knew that Ginny wouldn't be able to handle it, so he let her go.

"Malfoy! Open up!" Hermione shouted again. _What's wrong with her?_ Ginny wondered from inside the spacious closet. _Man,_ she thought,_ even his closet is nice!_

"Hold on," Draco shouted right back. He stalked to the door, and it flew open, almost smacking him in the face.

"Where is she?" Hermione asked livid. From her view in the closet, Ginny could see her face was red and her hair was crazy.

"Where's who, Granger?" Draco asked, playing innocent.

"You know very well who I'm talking about!" Hermione shouted, "GINNY!"

"Ginny _Weasley_?" Draco asked incredulously. "And why would the littlest Weasley be in here in the first place?"

"I have _no_ idea," Hermione said enraged, "But I could've sworn I heard her just a second ago." Hermione started moving around the room, checking under his bed and in his wardrobe.

"Maybe you were imagining things," he smirked at her, and she threw him a dirty look that was strong enough to shut him up.

"Is she in here?" a voice came from the door. Both Draco and Hermione spun around to see a disheveled Ron, standing in his pajamas but looking just as mad as Hermione.

"RONALD!" Hermione screamed. "I told you to stay in my room!"

Draco doubled over in laughter.

"No way!" he said unbelievably, and he turned his attention back to Hermione. "You and Weasley?" This just sent Draco into more fits of laughter, and both Hermione and Ron turned a bright shade of red.

Ginny, however, was nervous as hell. No way could her brother and Hermione find her in Draco's room. They would _kill_ her. Ginny came up with an idea, but she wasn't sure it would work. Concentrating with all the strength she could muster, Ginny held her wand to herself, and whispered the incantation. She imagined herself a brunette with ocean blue eyes. She looked down.

Nothing.

"Ugh," Ginny spat in frustration as she stared at her still red hair. Bad idea. Hermione whipped around, staring at the closet, apparently having heard Ginny. Determinedly, Hermione marched across the room, and Ginny saw Draco panic.

"Come on," he said quickly. "You can't honestly believe I have Ginny in here. She's a Weasley after all!"

Ron glared at him but then continued to watch Hermione. She was only feet from Ginny's hiding place, and Ginny began to panic. _Please work!_ She begged herself. "Don't let anyone or anything limit you," Ginny recalled Snape telling her. With a silent sigh, Ginny concentrated even harder than before and imagined the magic floating around her, forming itself over her body. She imagined it masking her red curls and her brown eyes, changing them so she wouldn't be recognizable. Ginny muttered the incantation and felt the magic swarm her at once, and not a second later, Hermione threw open the closet door.

To everyone's surprise, inside the closet stood a meek brunette, whose hair was wild and eyes wide with shock.

"Oh," Hermione mumbled in shock. Draco just gawked at the girl stepping out from the closet. It was _definitely_ not Ginny.

"Do you mind?" Ginny said snottily. She had realized that she'd been able to successfully illusion herself, and she was about to give Hermione and Ron a piece of her mind.

"Err…I…" Hermione mumbled in confusion. She was clearly not expecting this girl to be stepping out from the place where she had been sure Ginny had been hiding.

"I…I…" Ginny said, mocking her. "You've caught us," she said with anger. "Now move along!"

Hermione gathered herself together and stormed to the door. She grabbed Ron by the arm and slammed the door as they left. Draco just stood stock-still as Ginny started shouting.

"I can't believe them!" she cried in disbelief. "They are _such_ hypocrites! They barge in here, trying to catch me with you, when _they_ had spent the night together anyway!"

Draco said nothing. He just stared at the brunette, not sure what to say.

Finally, Draco muttered, "How'd you do that?"

"Do what?" Ginny shouted, still angry at her stupid brother.

"That," Draco said, pointing at the new Ginny.

"Oh," she said more quietly. Honestly, she really didn't know. All she did was imagine the magic wrap itself around her. "Well, I…" she trailed off, not really sure how to explain.

"You did a self-illusion!" he exclaimed in amazement, "Ginny, that's amazing!"

"Shush!" Ginny warned as he said her name.

"I mean," Draco said still smiling at her. "That's amazing!" he whispered.

Ginny smiled to herself, "It is, isn't it?"

"We haven't even learned that yet, and you were able to do it! Could I have picked a more amazing woman?" he asked himself, and Ginny smiled.

"Well, who said you picked me?" she said walking up to him with raised eyebrows. "Maybe it was _I_ who picked _you_," Ginny leaned forward, pressing her lips to his and kissed him happily, but he pulled away quickly.

"What?" she asked in disappointment, and he simply pointed at the illusion that was still on her. "Oh, right," she realized and raised her wand. Imagining the magic lifting off of her, unmasking her true self and floating back into the air, Ginny was able to remove the illusion.

"Much better," Draco said, staring longingly at the red head, and then he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her sweetly.

They spent the whole day wandering around anywhere and everywhere, constantly stopping behind trees and in abandoned classrooms, just so they could feel the other's lips on their own one more time. Luckily, they were never walked in on, and they were able to avoid the people that would cause the most problems. Like Ron, who happened to be near by everywhere they went, but somehow they managed to steer clear of him. Ginny considered this a sign: she was meant to be with Draco.

Like Ginny, Draco shared the same thought. How they had come together in the first place was still a mystery to him, but now that they were together, Draco knew that he _never_ wanted to let her go.

* * *

Ginny practically skipped down the halls Monday morning. Her weekend felt like a dream, an amazing and wonderful dream that she didn't _ever_ want to forget. 

"How was your weekend?" a voice asked icily. Ginny spun around to see Christian leaning up against a wall, glaring at her.

"It was fine," she answered meekly. Something about the look in his eyes made her step back in fear.

"Did you and _Malfoy_," he said the name with hatred, "have a good time?"

Ginny went to open her mouth, but nothing came out.

"That is who you ditched me to be with," he asked heatedly, "isn't it?"

"No," Ginny said finding her voice. "It's not like that," she tried to explain.

"Oh really," Christian said stepping forward and grabbing her wrist. "That's what it looked like to me."

"Let go of me," Ginny whined in fear as she started to lose the feeling in her fingers.

"Or you'll what?" he said glancing around. "There's no Draco here to save you now!"

"I…" she stammered uselessly.

"You're pathetic Ginny," he scoffed as he shoved her into the wall. "Now listen to me carefully. You will never see Draco again-"

"But," she cut in. "He's in my class, and I-"

"Then you won't speak to him in there," Christian glared at her. "You'll _always_ be partnered with me, and you won't so much as glance at him." He shook her hard. "Do you understand me?"

Ginny nodded timidly, her fear about to make her throw up. Finally, Christian released Ginny, throwing her against the wall once more. Ginny felt her head collide with the cold wall, making a dull thunk as it made contact.

"And don't tell _anyone_ about this," he threatened, "or else..."

Ginny collapsed on the floor, watching him walk away. What was she going to do? How was she supposed to be able to just completely ignore Draco? She couldn't, not after all that had happened between them. Sadly, Ginny ran all the way back up to her room and fell onto her bed crying. She didn't care if she missed a whole day of school, she really didn't.

* * *

It was midnight, and Ginny couldn't sleep. She cried herself to sleep earlier and was now wide-awake. She sat on her bed, motionless, her mind completely devoid of thought. As if in a trance, Ginny got up and followed her familiar route down to Black Lake where she would sit and cry her worries away. 

The darkness was pressing in around her, and Ginny felt as bad, if not worse, than she used to feel. She had that feeling where nothing was ever going to go right for her, that things were always going to be screwed up. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. It was cool out, much cooler than it had been the last time she had gone out at night. _Oh well_ Ginny thought miserably, letting the tears still fall down her cheeks.

"Hello?" a voice said tentatively. Ginny sat straight up in attention, looking into the darkness where a shadow was coming closer and closer to her.

* * *

The night was calming for Draco, a little chilly, but still good. He hadn't seen Ginny all day, which had made him upset. He couldn't find her at any of the normal places she usually was at. _Oh well_ Draco thought_ at least I get to see her tomorrow._ Draco walked a little ways along the bank of the lake, and then sat down by his normal tree. He thought of the girl who cries only briefly. Sometimes when he came out late at night he'd half hope that she would be there, but it didn't really matter to him anymore. He had Ginny now. 

Draco smiled to himself, remembering the great day they had on Sunday. It had been amazing. Man, he liked Ginny so much…_loved_ her actually.

_What was that?_ Draco wondered. He had heard something down the bank. It sounded kind of like…no. He was imagining things. Draco sighed and picked at the dormant grass around him. _Wait a second_ he thought, cocking his head again. Draco could've sworn that he heard something again. He could've sworn that he heard someone crying.

Slowly, he got up and walked down the bank. Sure enough, as he kept going, the noise got louder, and Draco was sure that it was the girl who cries.

"Hello?" he said tentatively and saw her head snap up in attention.

_That voice_ Ginny thought_ it sounds _so_ familiar. Could it be…?_

"Draco?" Ginny whispered to the darkness.

_How does she know me?_ Draco wondered in confusion. He stopped, and then it hit him. The girl who cries was Ginny.

"Ginny? Is that you?" he asked, confident that it was.

"Yeah," she said, wiping the tears from her cheeks, and staring at the nearing figure.

"Gin, what are you doing out here?" he asked, but what he really wanted to know was why she was crying…why she used to cry as well.

"Well," Ginny said, sniffling a little, "I could ask you the same question,"

Draco sat down next to a shivering Ginny. "Are you okay?" he asked, taking his cloak off and draping it over her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said quietly. "It's been a while since I came out here, and it's gotten a lot colder since then."

"Ginny," Draco said seriously. "You didn't answer me. Are you okay?"

Ginny turned away. How could she tell him? How could she explain what happened? She sure as hell didn't want Christian coming after her. That guy scared the crap out of her, but she couldn't just drop Draco just like that…could she?

"Ginny?" he repeated, forcing Ginny to snap out of it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she answered grimly.

"Don't lie to me, Ginny," Draco said, hurt that she couldn't tell him what was really going on. "You were just crying your eyes out. _Something_ must be wrong."

"No, really," she tried weakly. "I'm fine."

"That's bull," he said angrily. "Ginny, why can't you tell me what's going on?" Ginny couldn't bear to look at him; he looked so hurt, and it killed her to know that she did that to him.

"Is it something I did?" he asked sadly.

"No!" Ginny cried out. How was she going to explain this? "It's just…" she tried, a lie forming in her head while she spoke. "I've had a long day, and I got a lot of crap from my teachers. Plus, some other people came up to me asking about what's going on between you and me, and they wouldn't leave me alone. Apparently, people saw us together, and I don't know," she finished weakly. "It was just a long day."

He stared at her, not believing what she was saying. _Why is she lying to me?_ He wondered. _What's she hiding?_

"I'm sorry, Gin," he said, not pressing her for more information. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and she tensed. _What's going on with her?_ Draco wondered again. Finally, she relaxed and leaned into him, her breathing slow and deep.

"You know," Draco said hesitantly as he broke their silence. "I love you, Ginny."

Ginny closed her eyes, new tears forming and falling silently down her cheeks. She was supposed to be ending what they had. Ginny was about to open her mouth to tell Draco that she loved him too, but a picture of Christian popped into her head. She shuddered as a new wave of tears wet her cheeks.

_She doesn't love me_ Draco thought miserably. It was a stupid idea to tell her. He sighed and just pulled Ginny closer. She had started crying again, and it was tearing Draco apart, but he had no idea what to do. She wouldn't tell him what was wrong; she was just holding everything inside, like the old Ginny. She was acting the way she had acted when he had just met her.

They sat in silence for another hour until Ginny got abruptly up and walked away. She didn't say anything, but she just walked slowly and quietly up to the castle, tears still streaming from her eyes. Draco sat miserably for a while more wondering what he had done wrong. Sunday had been great, and now all of a sudden, Ginny was holding back. She was fading away from Draco, and he had no idea how to stop it.

* * *

Ginny had almost convinced herself to not go to charms class. She even had the idea to drop out of the class entirely, but then she realized that she was throwing away a great opportunity. It would be stupid of her to give up the amazing chance because she was having guy issues. Actually, Ginny would've been fine. If she had been given the chance to just be with Draco, then everything would've worked out…she was sure of it. But now Christian had stepped in and ruined everything. 

Ginny stopped before entering the classroom, her stomach fluttering and fear racing through her body. _What on earth am I going to do?_ She wondered sadly. Finally, she stepped through the door. Draco turned around expectantly and smiled when he saw Ginny appear. Her heart dropped to her stomach. How could she do this to him? He had finally opened up for _someone_, and she was about to tear his heart a part.

She glanced over to Christian. He was smirking evilly with an empty chair pulled out next to him. With dread, Ginny passed by Draco's table, watching his mouth fall open in shock and his face contort in confusion. She sat down slowly in the empty chair by Christian and put her head down. There was _no_ way that she was going to look at Draco. She didn't want to see the hurt she knew would be on his face.

When Flitwick told them to begin their illusions, Draco sauntered over to them, not about to give up that easily.

"Hey, Gin," Draco said uneasily. "What are you doing?"

Ginny didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. Christian opened his mouth right away to tell Draco off.

"Ginny's _my_ partner from now on," Christian said icily.

"What?" Draco asked trying to mask his pain. He turned his attention to Ginny. "Is this true?" he asked her, but Ginny didn't say anything; she didn't even move. She just kept her head down, not daring to look into Draco's hurt, gray eyes.

"It's okay, Gin," Christian said, wrapping an arm around her, and Ginny shuddered. "You can tell him."

Reluctantly Ginny nodded her head. What else was she supposed to do? _How can I ever explain to him what happened?_ She was scared to death of Christian, and she feared what would happen if she went against his will.

"Move along now, Malfoy." He smirked, and Ginny saw Draco glance one more time at her, hurt evident all over his face.

For the rest of the hour, Ginny half-heartedly did human illusions with Christian. He would laugh and smile and make it seem like they were having a grand old time, but Ginny was miserable. All she kept thinking about was how she and Draco had so much fun illusioning each other. Ginny couldn't help but glance over at Draco, and he was always looking back, not hiding how angry and confused he was. But every time Ginny looked Draco's way, Christian would glare at her, and Ginny would look away.

After class, Ginny bolted away, trying to get away from both Draco and Christian. She didn't want to be around Christian one more second, and she didn't want to confront Draco. She made her way to her room, overwrought with misery. Ginny fell asleep there and didn't wake until next morning.

* * *

Ginny made her way slowly down to the breakfast hall. Normally she would have just skipped breakfast, especially considering her situation now, but she was absolutely starving. She sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table, head sunk in defeat. All of sudden, the owls came in scaring Ginny half to death. She watched as each owl eventually found its recipient. Miserably, Ginny turned her attention back to her toast when a large, barn owl landed right beside her. 

She looked around in confusion. _Who would be sending me something?_ She took the parchment from its leg, and the owl bolted off right away. It was a small bit of parchment, and Ginny's hands were shaking as she opened it. On the piece of parchment, four words were hastily scrawled:

_Same time, same place._

Ginny's heart sank as she realized who it was from: Draco. Of course she couldn't meet him. It would be way too dangerous, but…Her thoughts trailed off as she thought of what could possibly happen. _Christian would never know, right?_ With that thought, she leapt up from her seat, a bit happier than she had been only earlier.

* * *

"Draco?" Ginny whispered into the darkness. She had just stepped into the charms classroom, which was dark and deserted. _Perhaps, he won't come?_ Ginny thought miserably. 

"I'm here, Gin," a voice came from the side of the classroom. Ginny whipped around to see Draco sitting in the chair she had sat in only earlier that day, during class. She walked over to him and sat in the chair next to him, waiting for him to say something…anything.

Ginny opened her mouth to start the conversation when Draco whipped around angrily, face contorted in rage.

"What's going on with you, Ginny?" he demanded, and she shrunk back. "One minute you're happy with me, and the next, you're off with _him,_" Draco said, referring to Christian. "Can you at least tell me what the hell is going on with you?"

Ginny stared at him in the darkness. _What am I supposed to tell him? That I care about him more than I've cared about anyone in my whole life? That Christian is threatening me and forcing me to be with him? That I feel so scared and unbelievably alone?_

"I don't know," Ginny whispered to him, lowering her head.

"No, Ginny," he yelled at her. "Don't give me that! _Don't_ lie to me!" He glared at her, his heart racing. _Why is she doing this to me?_ He thought miserably.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Draco," she mumbled, the tears falling freely from her cheeks. _This was a bad idea. _"I can't see you anymore," she whispered and looked up into his hurt face. How she wished she could take away all the pain.

"What?" he asked in shock. He was no longer angry with her, but how could anyone be when they saw how miserable she was. "Why?" he asked weakly.

"I can't explain," she muttered while getting up from her chair. "I just…I have to go." She turned quickly and stumbled. Right as she was about to hit the ground, Draco caught her. He pulled her back up and then held her close to his body. Ginny just snuggled into him, enjoying what would be the last time she would ever feel his arms around her.

"Ginny," he whispered pleadingly as he moved his hand to the back of her head. "Can't you tell me-"

"Ow!" she squeaked.

Draco looked at her, but didn't move his hand from the back of her head. "Gin, you have a _huge_ bump right here."

Ginny's hand flew to the back of her head and lightly touched the bump there. Another wave a pain seared through her head, and she pulled her hand back.

"What did you do?" he asked her.

"I…uhh…" she said, looking for a reasonable excuse. "I dropped a book in my potions class, and when I reached over to pick it up, I bumped my head on the table," she finished lamely.

Draco looked at her skeptically. It could be true, but he didn't think so. _What is with all this lying?_ He wondered sadly. _Why can't she just tell me the truth?_

Ginny stared at him, hoping he'd believe her. I mean, how could she possibly tell him the truth? How could she tell him that Christian had slammed her against a wall and demanded that she never speak with Draco again?

"I have to go now," she said quickly. _What on earth am I doing here? If Christian finds out…_she trailed off on that thought. She didn't want to imagine what Christian would do if he found out.

"But Gin-" was all Draco got out before Ginny had rushed out the door, leaving him alone and heartbroken.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews! **Read** and **review** please! 


	8. Not So Perfect

Chapter 8: Not So Perfect

* * *

Ginny wandered down to the Great Hall, her stomach leading her more than her mind. Her mind was going over the conversation she had with Draco the previous night. He had been so hurt, and Ginny felt like screaming at the top of her lungs knowing that she was the one who had caused that pain. 

Suddenly, a hand shot out of nowhere, grabbing Ginny by the wrist and yanking her into a nearby classroom. Before Ginny could realize what was happening, she was pinned to the wall by Christian.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Ginny?" he seethed at her. Ginny tried to pull away, but he only held her there tighter. "Do you?" he asked again, his voice rising.

"N-no-," she murmured flinching when he leaned in.

"Good answer," he glared at her, releasing Ginny from his grip. "Then why, may I ask, did you feel the need to sneak around behind my back and see Malfoy?"

_Crap_ Ginny screamed in her mind. _How the hell did he find out?_ She stared at him, fear oozing out from her eyes. Before she knew it, his hand came flying out from nowhere, making contact with her cheek. She turned away from him, her cheek stinging from the blow.

"I'm _not_ stupid, Ginny," he yelled at her, "and the next time you see him, I won't let you off so easily!" He lifted his hand one more time, and Ginny turned away. "Don't," he warned, lowering his hand, "underestimate me."

He grabbed her arm and linked it with his own. "Now," he said through a forced smile, "you'll let everyone see how happy you are with me!" They stepped out of the classroom, arm in arm, and waltzed into the Great Hall.

As she walked in, Ginny could feel all eyes on her. People turned to their neighbors and whispered at what they saw: Ginny Weasley with Christian Lander.

"Smile," he ordered her, digging his elbow hard into her side. She cringed but didn't do anything; Ginny wanted everyone to see how miserable she was. "Don't make me put a Cheering Charm on you," he threatened. She glared at him but put on a small smile despite herself. Glancing over at the Slytherin table, Ginny saw Draco determinedly not looking over at her and Christian. What she wouldn't give to just run over there and kiss him in front of everyone. Maybe once Christian got sick of her, she could go to Draco, and she'd let everyone know that she loved him…if he ever spoke to her again.

"Hey guys!" Christian said enthusiastically sitting down next to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They looked quizzically at Ginny and Christian, as they sat side-by-side, arms still linked.

"Are you two…?" Harry began but was cut off by Ron's outburst.

"Are you two going out?" Ron blurted out. He looked hopefully from Ginny to Christian and back again.

"Yeah, Ron, we are," Christian said with a grin. He looked to Ginny and nudged her lightly. "Aren't we _dear_?" he asked.

She looked into his face, a threat only she could see coming from his eyes. "Yeah," she said with a tiny smile. "We are."

"Wow, Gin!" Hermione said enthusiastically. "That's just great! You guys are _perfect_ for each other!"

The four jumped into conversation about all sorts of things. About how Christian had asked her out, how long they had actually been dating, and more nonsense. Ginny didn't pay the slightest bit of attention. She kept looking over to Draco who was talking animatedly with Pansy. Ginny felt a surge of jealousy flood through her. She was about to get up and smack that stupid smirk off Pansy's face, but a hard step on her foot from Christian told her to not even think about it.

Ginny spent the rest of the day attached to Christian. He'd walk her to every class, kiss her on the cheek goodbye, and show up when the hour was done. She would always try to escape him, but he'd never let go of her arm. He wanted the whole school to know that they were together. So, Ginny spent the whole day being showcased around to the entire school.

"Now," Christian said through gritted teeth at the end of the very long day, "be a good girl, and _don't_ do anything I wouldn't want you to do." He smirked at her and walked away. Ginny stuck her tongue out at his receding back. Then she sunk miserably to the floor, her mind void and blank.

Finally, Ginny returned to the Gryffindor common room. Wrought with exhaustion, Ginny sank into a comfy armchair, near the glowing fire.

"Are you alright, Gin?" came a voice from behind. Tiredly, Ginny turned around to see Hermione walking towards her. With grace, she sat gingerly in a neighboring chair. Ginny looked sadly at the bushy haired brunette, her misery about to seep from her mouth, but she stopped.

"I'm fine, Hermione," she said with a depressed sigh.

"Come on, Ginny," Hermione said in a hurt voice. "I can tell you're not yourself."

Ginny snorted. _What would she know about how I normally am? She didn't pay me the slightest bit of attention to me until Christian showed up._

"I'm fine," Ginny assured her. "Can we please talk about something else?"

"Alright," Hermione agreed determinedly. "Let's talk about you and Christian!" she suggested brightly.

Ginny groaned, but Hermione didn't notice at all. She slouched lower in her chair as Hermione went on about how perfect she and Christian were for each other, how wonderful and amazing Christian was in general, and how lucky Ginny was to have him as her boyfriend.

"Hermione," Ginny interrupted bravely, "maybe Christian isn't as perfect as you think he is."

She stopped and stared at the red head. "What do you mean, Gin?"

Ginny sighed, wishing she had never spoken up. Christian would kill her if he could hear her now.

"Ginny?" Hermione persisted.

"All I'm saying," Ginny said quietly, "is maybe Christian's not so perfect…"she trailed off, gazing into the blazing fire. "Maybe he has some faults."

"Ginny," Hermione began seriously, "Is there something-"

"Hello, ladies," Christian interjected. He smiled fondly at Ginny, but she could see the anger bubbling up inside of him.

"Oh, hi!" Hermione said, slightly startled, but everything that Ginny just said flew from her mind. "How's it going, Christian?" she asked with a girly grin.

Ginny sighed and turned away. No one could see what Christian really was: a monster. All they saw was his pretty face and easy going smile…not the anger that flooded out through his eyes or the dread that seeped from his very core.

"I actually wanted to talk with Ginny," Christian said with a charming grin that fooled Hermione but not Ginny.

"Oh!" Hermione said, slightly flustered. "I'll just be on my way then!" she waved farewell brightly.

"Come with me, Gin," he glared at the meek girl.

"I don't want to go _anywhere_ with you," she spat back at him. This wasn't smart, and she knew it. If Christian got really mad at her, who knows what he'd do, but she was sick of him, and she was going to let him know it.

"Oh yes, you will," Christian snarled, grabbing Ginny by the arm and yanking her up. As he pulled her out of the common room, not one other person noticed or saw what was going on. They were all blind to Christian's true demeanor. Pushing her hard into an empty room, Christian turned on her angrily. He slapped her across the face before Ginny had time to even blink.

"Going to open your big, fat mouth, were you?" he shouted at her. Ginny backed away, the sting from the blow still aching.

"I hate you," she muttered darkly. The statement hung in the air; the words deadly weapons aimed in Christian's direction.

"What was that?" he yelled at her, taking a step in her direction. Ginny backed up distinctively, still afraid of what Christian could do.

"You heard me," Ginny said. "I. Hate. You." She pronounced each word clearly, her bravado growing as each moment passed.

"I can change that," he growled at her, and before Ginny knew it, his hand was at her throat. She could feel her breathing slow and almost stop. She kicked her feet weakly as Christian lifted her whole body off the ground. Ginny wiggled lamely as she gasped and wretched for air.

"Do you still hate me?" he asked in triumph. Ginny shook her head quickly, and Christian threw her to the ground. Ginny lay on the cool stone ground, breathing in the refreshing air. "You keep pushing me, Ginny," Christian stated, still glaring at her, and Ginny returned the glare. "But if you push me too far," he warned her, "_You_ are the one who will face the consequences."

He walked to the door, and Ginny glared daggers at his back. How she hated him.

Turning around he added, "If I were you, I would just keep my mouth shut. That way we won't have any of these little problems, and everything will be okay."

He waltzed out the door, like he was the king of the world, and Ginny wished she had the courage to call him back in there with a smart remark.

"No," Ginny muttered to the empty room. "Everything won't be okay."

* * *

When Ginny got back to her room, an owl was perched serenely on her bed. She grabbed the parchment tied to its foot, her heart racing fast. 

_Tonight, same time, same place._

Ginny dropped the parchment to the floor. She already knew she wouldn't go and meet Draco. Of course she wanted to, but with Christian breathing down her neck, it was way too dangerous. Ginny decided to skip dinner altogether, and instead, she walked down to the lake for what she hoped would be a peaceful evening.

This time, she had enough sense to dress warmly. Fall was ending, and soon the first snow would be upon them.

"Will you tell me what's going on?" came a familiar voice, right behind Ginny. She whipped around to find herself face to face with Draco. He looked sad but determined.

"D-Draco," Ginny stammered. _He must've seen me walking out to the lake on his way to the Great Hall_. _Ahhh! This kid's going to get me killed!_ Ginny thought miserably.

"Please," he begged her. "If you just tell me why you've been avoiding me, why you're now with Christian, then I'll let you go…then I'll be able to forget you." He looked up at her, his gray eyes connecting deeply with hers.

Ginny shuddered. She knew the lie she would have to spin for Draco to leave her alone. "I…I've moved on, Draco," Ginny began weakly, turning away so she wouldn't have to see his face. "What we had was great, but who were we kidding? Something between us could never have worked out." She turned to him now, making sure he saw how completely unaffected she was pretending to be, "And now I'm with Christian. He's great and amazing, and I'm really happy," she finished with a forced smile.

"You're right," Draco agreed sadly. "Something between us could never have worked out, but not because of the circumstances," he said staring straight into her eyes until Ginny had to look away. "A relationship requires effort on both parts, Ginny, and if you weren't ever going to work for us to be together, then we would've never worked out."

He stood up, and Ginny did too. His face, which was covered with anger and pain, told Ginny her lie was working. Now she just needed to finish it off.

"Good," she began. "I'm glad we both realize that everything's through between us. Now we can both go on our own ways, and we don't need to meddle in each other's lives." She held out her hand and said, "Goodbye, Draco."

"Bye, Gin-" he stopped in the middle of shaking her hand. "Ginny, what happened to your wrists?" he asked pulling the sleeve of her robe up farther. Before she could pull away, Draco snatched her forearms. Around her wrists were purple finger marks, like someone had grabbed her really hard.

"Oh that," Ginny said, trying to sound unconcerned. "I…" she trailed off, not being able to think of an excuse in time.

"Who did this to you?" Draco demanded looking into Ginny's scared, brown eyes.

"No one," she stammered, trying to take her arms back, but Draco wouldn't let go. "I don't know what-"

"Lander," Draco growled, suddenly realizing what was happening. "_He's_ been doing this to you, hasn't he?" He looked at Ginny, but she turned away, not able to deny his accusation. "That's why you're with him, isn't it? He's been hurting you!"

"No, Draco!" Ginny cried weakly, and he finally let go of her hands.

"I'm going to kill him!" Draco yelled in anger.

"Don't!" Ginny said fiercely this time. Draco turned to look at her, still angry at the new revelation. "I have to deal with this," she stated.

"But Ginny-" Draco protested, but she cut him off.

"Draco," said Ginny seriously. "I need to handle this. I need to deal with Christian on my own."

He looked at her, unsure of what to do. Half of him wanted to beat Christian into a bloody pulp, but the other half of him wanted to let Ginny do what she needed to do.

"Are you sure?" Draco asked hesitantly. He didn't want her to get hurt anymore than she already was.

"I'm sure," she said stepping closer to Draco. He had made her realize that she could do this. She could step out of the shadow that Christian had cast over her. She had the strength to stand up to him. "Thank you, Draco," Ginny whispered, her lips moving closer to his. Draco's breath caught in the back of his throat. He leaned forward, ready to embrace Ginny once more.

"Gin," he said stepping back and shaking his head. "I can't. Not when you're still with him, and I need time to think things over anyway."

Ginny looked at him, pain evident on her face.

"What do you have to think over?" she asked incredulously. "I like you, and you like me. Like you said earlier, a relationship between us can work out if both of us work at it, and I'm determined to make us work."

"I don't know anymore, Ginny," he said stepping back again. "You hurt me more than I can even explain."

"But, it was all because of Christian!" she cried out. Ginny couldn't believe this was happening.

Draco looked at her skeptically. The first girl he truly let close to him had broken his heart like no one else ever had, but looking into her eyes, he saw how much she cared about him.

"Okay," Draco sighed, embracing her in a hug before she even realized what was going on. "Just end whatever is going on between you two, and then we'll talk. Okay?" he asked pulling away.

"Okay," Ginny whispered into his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him. She smiled up at him, and then skipped away, ready to confront Christian.

She took one step in the school, deciding to look in the Great Hall first, but a hand pulled her back. She was shoved roughly into the wall, sharp pain flashing through her head, and then she was being dragged away. Ginny felt herself being tossed roughly into an empty room, and when she looked up, she saw a _very_ pissed off Christian, standing above her.

"I warned you!" he shouted at her, kicking her in the gut.

Ginny crumpled up on the floor, pain searing through her stomach. He leaned forward, grabbing Ginny by her hair and yanking her up into standing position. She yelped out in pain, almost collapsing onto the floor again. Christian raised his hand, and Ginny flinched. Pain attacked Ginny once more as Christian's hand made contact with her cheek. She went sprawling to floor once more, where Christian kicked her again.

"Don't _ever_," he seethed at Ginny, "disobey me again!" Ginny curled up in a little ball, but Christian yanked her up again. Pushing her against the wall, he glared right at her, "Do you hear me?" he yelled.

Ginny looked at him as she felt all her courage and strength diminish. She nodded quickly, and Christian hit her one more time before letting her drop to the floor.

_What was I thinking?_ Ginny thought as the pain surged through her. She watched in fear as Christian stalked out the door, and she was finally able to breathe freely. Ginny sat in pain on the floor for only a few minutes before getting up, and walking out the door.

Every part of her body ached. She could barely get her feet to move, but the prospect of a nice, warm bed, made her keep going. As she was rounding the corner she ran smack dab into a group of people. Barely managing to stay on her feet, Ginny looked forward to see three people staring incredulously at her.

"Ginny!" Hermione screamed. "What on earth happened to you?"

Her heart quickened as Ginny saw Hermione, Ron, and Harry staring at her in disbelief. Then she noticed Christian behind them smirking at her. After he glared at her, he took up his protective act as the concerned boyfriend and made his way to Ginny.

"Ginny!" he cried, concern splashed all over his face. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

She stared at him, not able to speak. He looked at her, and she saw the warning flash across his eyes.

"Someone did this to you?" Ron cried out. "Tell us who did this to you, so we can go and beat the crap out of them!"

Ginny hesitated. What was she supposed to say? That the guy standing before them did it? That he had been threatening and abusing her since they had been 'going out'? Of course she couldn't. He'd beat the crap out of _her_ later.

"It was Draco!" Ginny blurted out before she could stop herself. Her hand flew to her mouth as she realized what she had just said. _Oh no_ she thought.

"What?" the trio asked incredulously, and Ginny saw Christian smirk in victory.

"Malfoy did this to you?" Harry asked angrily.

"I can't believe that bloody git!" Ron shouted, his face turning bright red. "Let's go," he said to the others and they set off.

Ginny remained in her spot, watching them walk away.

"Oh no you don't," Christian whispered angrily at her. "You're going to see this." He grinned evilly.

"Please," Ginny argued, as he dragged her after the trio, but Christian threw her a threatening look so she shut up.

As they were about to walk into the Great Hall, the trio stopped. Peering out into the semi-darkness, Ginny could see Draco sitting peacefully on the bank of the Black Lake.

"Malfoy!" Ron shouted as he set off across the grounds. Draco turned around and glared as he saw the trio walking towards him, but he froze as he saw Christian dragging Ginny along behind them. Christian smirked at him, and Draco got up, ready to beat Christian into a bloody pulp as he saw Ginny's face contort in pain from his grip.

"What do you want, Weasel?" he asked, not taking his eyes off Christian and Ginny.

"I want you to pay for what you did to my sister!" he yelled angrily, and Draco turned to face him for the first time.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said evenly as Ron stepped right up to his face.

"Like hell you don't know what I'm talking about!" he shouted. He grabbed Ginny, bringing her forward to face Draco. "Look what you did to her!"

Ginny looked at Draco pleadingly, but he showed her no sympathy in his steely gray eyes.

"So that's the clever story she's spun for you, is it?" Draco turned to glare at the other four. They all hesitated for a second, but Ron fired back almost instantly.

"Story?" he yelled angrily. "It's the truth! You're the one who beat her up!"

"No!" Draco shouted back at him, and Ron stepped back. "That's _not_ the truth. That's what _she_ has told you!" He yelled pointing a finger at Ginny. With that Draco pushed past them and stalked back towards the castle. He was gone before any one of them could fire a curse at him.

"That prat!" Ron shouted angrily, and then he turned to Ginny. "What was he talking about Ginny?"

Ginny backed away, and lifted a hand to her mouth, afraid of the awful lie that could escape her lips at any moment.

"You know Malfoy," Christian said, stepping in, and putting a comforting arm around Ginny's waist. She shuddered at his touch.

"He's always coming up with stupid lies and excuses," he assured the trio. "We can kill the piece of scum later." They looked comforted by his words and eventually made their way back up to the castle.

"Good work," Christian whispered to Ginny with a smirk. "I couldn't have come up with a better lie that would screw up your life if I tried."

Ginny's heart sank as she remembered Draco's face. _What have I done?_ She thought dismally. She just ruined any chance she could have had with being with Draco. Christian's arm was still around her, and Ginny had the urge to smack it away, but she didn't. She knew she had no choice now. Draco would never speak to her again, and Christian would always be there, watching and making sure Ginny didn't disobey him.

On the way back to the common room, Christian yanked Ginny in an empty classroom once more. She closed her eyes and turned away, waiting for the blow that she knew was coming. But instead of hitting her, Christian wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his mouth greedily to hers.

Ginny felt like she was going to vomit as Christian's tongue flew into her mouth and as his hands groped at her body…but she didn't do anything. She gave into him. She let him kiss her and let his hands go where they pleased. What was the point anyway? She couldn't escape him.

* * *

**A/N:** Keep reading and **reviewing **to find out what happens next! 

Thanks for the reviews!


	9. Victory At Last?

Chapter 9: Victory At Last?

* * *

Ginny slumped out to the grounds. She hadn't been able to sleep at all. When she closed her eyes, pictures of Christian kissing her would pop up, and Ginny would remember that feeling that she needed to vomit. She also hoped that Draco would be there; she needed to explain to him what had happened. 

Sneaking out the great oak doors, Ginny quickly scanned the bank of the Black Lake. She huffed in defeat: Draco was nowhere to be seen.

Ginny began walking down to the lake, to her normal spot. Instead of sitting down, she kept walking, her body tense and jittery at the same time. She walked slowly, occasionally kicking a stone into the still water. Her thoughts were completely jumbled. The events from earlier that day seemed dreamlike to Ginny. _More like a nightmare_ she thought savagely. How was she ever supposed to break away from Christian? Even more importantly, how was she going to get Draco to speak to her again? He had seemed _so_ angry with her when he discovered that she had blamed him. Ginny still couldn't believe what she had done. It was still killing her inside.

_What was I thinking?_ Ginny thought to herself. _If I hadn't opened my big mouth, then maybe Draco would still be here to comfort me._ Instead, Ginny was stuck in the biting cold weather that was winter. She shivered, ready to turn around and go back to her warm bed. _Wait a second…_Ginny thought, peering out into the darkness. A couple yards ahead of her was a small gathering of trees, and leaning against one, was a shadowy figure. _Could it be?_ Ginny hoped.

"Draco?" she called out expectantly to the darkness, "Draco is that you?" Ginny stepped forward, but the shadowy figure neither spoke nor stirred. Ginny almost convinced herself that her eyes were playing tricks on her, when he finally spoke up.

"Leave me alone," he growled, still not moving.

"Oh Draco!" said Ginny, as she made her way quickly to his side. "Draco, I'm _so_ sorry! Christian…he hurt me…and when I ran into my brother and the others…I…I didn't know what to say!" Ginny stuttered, but he wasn't moved.

"So you thought you could blame me?" replied Draco evenly. "You thought you could just throw all the blame on me, and I'd just accept it? And then I'd welcome you back with open arms?"

Ginny stared at him, feeling the anger resonating from his body.

"D-Draco," she stammered. "I thought you would understand…I didn't know what to do…I-"

"No, I don't understand!" he yelled, interrupting her. "I don't understand how you could do something like that to someone you supposedly care about!"

"Draco," she began, feeling the tears she'd been holding back finally breaking forth. "I…I made a mistake-"

"Hell yeah, you made a mistake!" he yelled, and Ginny finally shut up, unsure of what to say or do to make him forgive her.

"P-please forgive me, Draco," she muttered weakly. "I'm so, _so _sorry!"

He finally looked up at her, seeing the tears gliding down her cheeks, but feeling no remorse. She had hurt him so much in the past week, but this last incident had finally pushed him over the edge. Draco couldn't understand what in the world was going through Ginny's head when she did or said certain things. How could she act the way she did at times? He just didn't get it, and it was all much easier to just let her go.

"_Screw you, Ginny_," Draco said darkly as he got to his feet.

With that, he stormed away from her, disappearing into the darkness of the night. Ginny collapsed to the ground, letting the new wave of tears wash over her. She lay on the cold ground for hours on end, letting all of her despair out through her tears.

When the first rays of sunshine started to peak out from above the Forbidden Forest, Ginny finally collected herself and snuck back up to her room. She sat on her bed, still as a rock, until her roommates began to stir. She dressed robotically, not thinking at all. Ginny went through her day with a dazed expression on her face, and with her mind completely blank. She was in shock. Shock at the realization that Draco would never take her back, even if she could be rid of Christian.

"Hello, Dear," said Christian with a smirk. Ginny hadn't realized that it was already time for her charms class. She hadn't even realized that she had already walked down to the class and was already seated next to the monster himself. Ginny stared at him, slightly dazed.

"Today," Flitwick squeaked from the front of the class, "we _won't_ be working on nonverbal magic."

The class cheered in excitement; they hated practicing nonverbal magic.

"Instead, I would like you to attempt self-illusioning," The class cheered again, but Flitwick held up his hands.

"Before you get too excited," he said with a smile, "I want to warn you that many, if not all of you, will _not_ be able to perform a self-illusion. There is something different about self-illusions that make them very difficult to perform. There is no set way of performing a self-illusion. I could tell you how _I_ concentrate and what _I_ imagine when performing a self-illusion, but it would, most likely, not work for any of you. You have to find your own way, your own method, to self-illusions. Only then will you be able to do what so many other witches and wizards covet."

He looked around the class, evaluating how they were taking this news. Not one face showed any hint of being fazed. They were pumped and ready to try it.

"I emphasize this again," Flitwick said, before letting them get to work. "That most, _if not all_, of you will fail miserably at self-illusions. Only a small percentage of the wizarding population is able to cast a self-illusion."

After his last words exited his mouth, the class began in a burst of enthusiasm. Ginny watched with a small smile tugging at her lips. It made her slightly happy that she was already able to cast a self-illusion. Even in her horrible situation with Christian, she found some happiness in watching him fail miserably at self-illusioning.

"And what do you think _you're_ smirking at?" Christian growled at her. Ginny had snorted loudly when Christian's face had turned red from all his useless effort.

"Nothing," Ginny replied innocently. He glared at her and raised his hand in a flash.

"Professor Flitwick," he called across the classroom, and the whole class turned to stare at the pair of them.

"Yes, Mr. Lander?" Flitwick said cautiously. He had never quite gotten over his first encounter with Christian.

"It's Ginny," he said dutifully. "She's not working at all. She's just been sitting here this whole time, doing absolutely _nothing_,"

Ginny threw a dirty look at Christian, which he, luckily, didn't notice. She looked up quickly to see Flitwick walking towards them.

"Is this true, Miss Weasley?" he asked, and Ginny could see slight frustration on his face.

"Yes, but-" Ginny began, but her professor cut her off.

"Miss Weasley," he snapped, and this was first time that Ginny had ever seen him seriously pissed. "I have given you an opportunity to be in this advanced class, and you're just going to throw it away? Maybe you shouldn't be here in the first place." He finished, and Ginny saw Christian smirk out of the corner of her eye.

"But I can already do a self-illusion!" Ginny blurted out before she knew what she was doing. She saw Christian's face fall and heard the other students whisper quietly, but Flitwick remained unfazed.

"Alright," he said evenly. "Let's see then!"

Ginny closed her eyes at once, breathing in deeply and slowly. She could feel her confidence growing the more she concentrated. Within moments, Ginny felt that familiar twinge of magic in the air. She smiled to herself, feeling it prickle her skin, then smiled even more as it wrapped itself quickly around her body, hiding her true appearance.

She heard the class gasp in unison, and when she opened her eyes, she smiled, seeing the complete shock on Christian's face. She flipped her straight brown hair and made her ocean blue eyes open wide for effect.

"Oh my," Flitwick gasped, with what could only be described as admiration. Ginny got up and twirled for the class, her deep blue dress twirling out magnificently around her. She glanced around one more time. Everyone was shocked into silence. The girl before them was definitely _not_ Ginny Weasley. Only Draco seemed unaffected, as he stared straight forward, avoiding Ginny's eyes.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Flitwick squeaked, as Ginny removed her self-illusion and turned herself back to normal. "50 points to Gryffindor! Oh my!" he said, still beaming at Ginny, "I haven't seen that kind of magic from a student in ages! Well done, Miss Weasley!"

He stared admiringly at Ginny for a few long moments until he realized what he was doing. Then he bustled around the classroom, getting the other students back on task, but occasionally glancing back at Ginny and smiling.

"You're dead," Christian whispered, and she whipped around to see him glaring at her. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach, all the happiness and confidence she'd just obtained vanishing the instant Christian spoke. "How dare you make me look like an idiot!" he yelled at her quietly. Ginny flinched, feeling the anger resonating from his body. She'd pay for her mistake later.

After class Ginny ran away to her room, determined not to leave. She didn't _ever_ want to see Christian again, and they'd have to pull her down from her dormitory if they wanted her to leave. Ditching her last classes, Ginny had time to relax in the quiet of her dormitory. The afternoon passed in one big haze. Within a couple of hours, Ginny was already getting sick of her dormitory and was seriously considering the chance she'd have if she tried to sneak out of there.

Ginny could hear people bustling down below her in the common room, and she occasionally saw some of her roommates enter and exit the room. _It must be dinner time_ Ginny thought, as the sounds quieted down. She made up her mind quickly as she jumped up from her bed and walked across the room. She made her way through the common room and downstairs stealthily.

As she neared the Great Hall she took a turn and started out towards the grounds. She hastily snuck down to the lake, looking forward to her favorite spot.

"Trying to avoid me?" came a voice angrily from right behind her. Ginny flinched. Turning around slowly, she saw Christian's face, contorted with anger, right next to her own. "Poor, pathetic Ginny," he said, a smirk dancing on his lips "How naïve. You'll pay for earlier, you wench," he said angrily, grabbing her by her long, red hair. "I can't believe you honestly thought you could avoid me!" Christian threw Ginny to the ground angrily.

Ginny felt her head make contact with hard stone. She winced, feeling tears prick the corner of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wouldn't let Christian see her cry. She couldn't.

"I see everything you do!" Christian yelled, kicking her in the gut. Ginny curled up, her stomach swarming with pain, "You can't escape me!" he shouted kicking her again. This time, the blow landed on her face. Ginny felt her nose break and blood began to flow freely from it. She yelped involuntarily and tried to scamper away, "Get up!" roared Christian. "Get up, you pathetic-"

"You touch her one more time," came an even angrier voice, "And I swear I'll kill you!" Ginny looked up hastily. Walking quickly from the castle was Draco, his wand raised, ready to attack.

"Malfoy," Christian smirked evilly. "Do you honestly think I'm afraid of you?" he asked, whipping out his own wand.

Draco marched right over to Ginny, not letting his wand leave Christian's form. He reached his hand down, and Ginny automatically placed her hand in his, loving the comfort she felt from the simple gesture.

"Are you okay, Gin?" he asked softly, not looking away from Christian.

"Yeah," Ginny whispered, even though her body was reeling with pain. She pulled out her wand quickly, pointing it at her face and fixing her nose. She also cleaned away the blood, but the pain still remained.

"Ginny?" came yet another voice. Ginny looked up at the school. Walking towards them were three familiar figures that Ginny knew well.

"Ginny what's going on?" Ron asked, clearly troubled.

"This monster," Christian explained quickly, "has hurt Ginny again! I came down here when I saw it happening!"

The trio rounded on Draco the moment Christian's words left his mouth.

"Get away from my sister!" Ron bellowed, as he, Harry, and Hermione all whipped out their own wands. Ginny just backed away slowly, silent as the grave.

"Ginny, dear, come here!" Hermione said breathlessly. Ginny made to move toward her but caught sight of Draco out of the corner of her eye.

_This is it _she thought to herself. Breathing in deeply and pulling all the confidence she could muster, Ginny stood her ground.

"Come on, Gin!" Harry said encouragingly, but Ginny wouldn't budge.

_Now or never, Gin_ she told herself.

"Ginny!" Ron shouted. "For goodness sake, get over here!"

"No," she said evenly, and for a moment, all eyes turned to her. Stepping from behind Draco, Ginny raised her own wand and pointed it straight at Christian.

"What are you doing?" the trio shouted at her.

"Yes, Ginny," Christian said, a warning flashing from his eyes. "What _are_ you doing?" Ginny paid him no attention; she was done playing his little games. Ginny now knew that Draco would always be there for her, whether he was mad at her or not, and that was plenty enough for her.

"You want to know what I'm doing, _Lander?_" Ginny asked, glaring at the monster who had been ruining her life. "I'm standing up to you; I'm not going to let you control me anymore."

"Ginny, what on earth are you talking about?" Ron asked, staring at his sister like she was crazy.

"Are you sure you want to do that, _Weasley_?" Christian volleyed right back at her, ignoring Ron and abandoning his innocent pretense.

Ginny saw the truth hit Ron as he turned to face Christian, his wand pointing at his new target. "It was _you_?" he asked incredulously. "_You_ were the one who was hurting her?"

"Took you long enough," Christian growled at him.

"I can't believe you!" Ron bellowed. "I trusted you, and you turn around and treat my sister like crap!"

"Don't make me sound like the monster here, Ron!" Christian argued back. "You three didn't pay poor Ginny any ounce of attention until I got here! You never acknowledged her, never treated her like a sister or a friend, never paid attention to how desperate Ginny was for your attention! Then when I come, you fling her at me like some offering! You never asked her whom she really wanted to be with, which was definitely _not_ me. _You_ are the ones who gave her to me! _You_ are the ones to blame!"

Ron, Harry, and Hermione all looked crestfallen, realization splashed across their features.

"Don't even try to throw the blame on them," Ginny snarled at Christian, all her hate for him finally coming forward. "_You_ are the monster. _You_ are the one who hurt me, and _you_ are the one whose going to pay." Ginny stepped forward, facing him with her wand lifted.

"You can't be serious?" he snorted, staring at the tiny girl before him. "You want to fight me?"

Ginny nodded, confidence flowing through her veins, but the trio didn't agree.

"That's not a good idea, Ginny," Ron said quickly.

"Gin, we don't want you getting anymore hurt than you already are!" Hermione shouted dismally.

"Come on, Ginny," Harry said, reaching for her arm. "Let us handle it."

"No!" she shouted angrily, turning to face them. They stepped back in unison, Ginny's anger hitting them dead on. "I can handle this!"

"Ginny," Draco said more quietly, speaking up finally. "Are you sure about this?"

"I can do this, Draco!" Ginny shouted at him, angry that he didn't have confidence in her abilities.

"Oh, I know you can do it," he reassured her. "But do you want to do this?"

"I do," Ginny said, her eyes sparkling with anger and power. "I _need_ to do this."

"I'm waiting!" Christian interrupted arrogantly, and Ginny turned to face him. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco all backed away, giving the two some room.

"I'm going to kick your ass," Ginny said with a smirk, readying her stance.

"In your dreams, Gin." He smirked right back at her, planting his feet and raising his wand.

They squared each other off and were both still for a few moments.

"**_Expelliarmus_**!" Christian shouted, sending a wave of magic at Ginny.

At that moment, everything slowed down for Ginny. She felt the magic nearing her slowly, could feel it coming closer to her flesh. Ginny raised her wand and blocked it easily.

"Is that all you've got?" Ginny sneered at him. She loved the way his face went blotchy red from embarrassment and anger.

"_Densaugeo_! _Furnunculus_! _Immobulus_! _Locomotor_ _Mortis_!" Christian shouted, throwing curses at Ginny. She blocked them all easily though.

"I'm waiting Christian," Ginny said, taunting him.

"Yeah…" he shouted back at her. "Well…let's see what you've got!"

"Alright, then," smirked Ginny, focusing all of her strength. Concentrating, Ginny focused on one spell, hearing it in her mind, over and over again. _Expelliarmus!_

In a flash, Ginny released the spell that she sent hurtling in Christian's direction. It hit him before he could even realize what was going on. His wand flew from his grip, and his body was sent spiraling backwards.

"Is that good enough?" Ginny asked slyly, as Christian picked himself off the ground and went to go retrieve his wand. _Accio wand!_ Ginny thought quickly, and Christian's wand flew over to Ginny just as he was about to grab it. "Oh!" she said, faking shock. "Do you want this?"

Christian glared at her, his face getting redder by the second.

"Here," she said, tossing his wand back at him. "You can have it back."

The moment Christian caught his wand he shouted back at her, "_Expelliarmus_!"

Ginny didn't have time to react at this quick counterattack. She was sent spiraling backwards, her wand flying from her hand. She hit the ground hard, but that didn't stop her. Getting up quickly, she saw Christian smirking at her, and anger flooded through her body.

"_Accio wand!_" Ginny shouted, even though her outstretched hand was empty. She had blurted out the incantation before she knew what she was doing, but the magic flowing through her seemed to have a mind of it's own. To her surprise, and to everyone else's, her wand darted back into her waiting hand. She looked at Christian; his smug expression vanished from his face like it had never been there in the first place.

Ginny felt the magic surge through her, and she mentally began to throw every hex and jinx she knew at Christian. Ginny saw him take every hit, staggering as every spell came at him. With one last burst of energy, Ginny mentally disarmed him and knocked him unconscious. She walked victoriously over to his still form.

"Ginny!" Ron, Harry, and Hermione shouted "You were amazing!"

Ginny beamed at them, and then searched anxiously for Draco. He was standing in the same position he'd been in the whole time, trying to avoid Ginny's eyes. Her face fell, realizing he was still mad at her, but what did she really expect? That he would just come running back to her after all she put him through?

The trio bombarded her with compliments and questions, but Ginny wasn't really listening.

"Can you hold on one moment?" She asked them politely, glancing back at the still and quiet Draco. Ron looked from Ginny to Draco and back again.

"Ginny," he said, shaking his head. This was all too much for him. I mean, come on! His little and only sister with _the_ Draco Malfoy? The very devil himself? No, he couldn't let that happen to Ginny.

"_Ronald_," Ginny warned.

She had finally gotten the truth out about Christian and he still wouldn't let her be with Draco? He was unbelievable! Ron remained unfazed as he gazed at his younger sister. Ginny sighed reluctantly. She could tell that this would take time…if Draco would have her back, that is.

"Just give me a moment to talk to him," she said weakly. Ron contemplated this idea and eventually gave in. After all, he, Harry, and Hermione would be standing just right there; they could come and pull her away from the monster if necessary.

Ron nodded reluctantly, and Ginny walked slowly up to Draco. She looked him straight in the eyes, but he looked away uncomfortably. Of course he liked Ginny, – well, loved her, really – but was love honestly enough? Could love survive even if two completely different people wanted to be together? Could love look past the differences, the obstacles?

Maybe it could…but maybe it couldn't.

If he was with Ginny, they'd constantly have to be defending their relationship. No one would approve, even her prat of a brother already made it clear that he didn't want his sister to even _talk_ to him. No one would like the idea of them being together, and he couldn't forget how much she had hurt him. He couldn't just let all that pain she'd caused him to disappear.

Was it worth it? Could they make it?

It'd be safer to just let go, and Draco knew it. If he backed out now, it was save the both of them a lot of heartache and a lot of pain. If he let Ginny go now, then she'd be safe to grow up and be with someone who she deserved. Keeping her all to himself would be selfish. It would just hold her back from someone who would be perfect for her…someone who could be everything she needed and deserved. Draco couldn't do that to Ginny.

"Draco?" Ginny asked quietly. She didn't like the way he was looking at her. His expression was pained, like he was about to do something he didn't want to do.

"Ginny, we…" he began, his voice breaking slightly.

Ugh! This was going to be harder than he thought. _No_. He had to concentrate on the anger. Focus on how pissed you are at her. _Don't feel sorry, just angry_. Taking a deep breath, he began again, not hesitating for a moment.

"We can't be together. There's nothing for us. It's better if we just go our own separate ways, living life like we have before this year."

_So this is it?_ Ginny thought, tears stinging her eyes. A couple emotionless words and they were over? That's how it was going to be? No, she had to make him see.

"But Draco," she argued through tears, "I…I love you…"

The words hung in the air awkwardly. On the inside, a part of Draco lit up, hearing the words he imagined so many times in his head. Another part of him died completely. He couldn't be with her.

"I don't love you." He said the words so dully and evenly that he even surprised himself. He could see the pain on Ginny's face, could see the utter agony in her sweet, brown eyes. His angry resolve cracked a little when he saw her misery. How could he be mad at Ginny? How was it even possible? _No, be angry. _He kept his face an emotionless mask, and Ginny seemed to buy it.

"O-okay," Ginny whispered. She opened her mouth again, but before she could speak, Draco was gone, walking back up to the school to collapse in misery once he was safe in his dormitory.

**

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A/N: **Like it?** Read! Review!** Let me know what you think! 


	10. A New Light

Chapter 10: A New Light

* * *

Ginny watched Draco walk away. How could he do this to her? How? She couldn't even manage to look Harry, Ron, or Hermione in the face as they trudged back silently to the school. Her head was flooded with activity. Questions, thoughts, and memories kept coming back to her, making the pain even worse. 

Hadn't Draco said he loved her? Hadn't he cared?

Yes…he had…before.

She'd pushed him too far. She hadn't been enough for him. These thoughts came un-welcomed and tore at Ginny's heart. What had she done? She could've been happy with Draco. They could've spent almost every waking moment together, just enjoying the other person's company.

Before she knew it, Ginny and the trio were stepping through the portrait whole into the common room. Ginny walked directly to her room, avoiding everyone's questioning looks.

"Ginny!" She heard Ron call out after her, but she couldn't face her brother, not now and maybe not ever. After all, he'd been right all along. She couldn't ever be with Draco.

She collapsed on her bed, feeling the misery consume her. Ginny tried to sleep, but something was still trying to hold onto Draco. Some part of her didn't want to let him go that easily. An idea hit her, one that might not do anything, but she needed to do it…for herself. Ginny pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. She pressed the quill to the parchment instantly, the words flowing from the deepest part of her heart.

_Draco,_

_I know you may not ever want to hear or see me again, and if that's the case, then I won't stand in your way. But before we go on acting like the other person doesn't exist, I need to explain a few things…some things I feel you have the right to know._

_Oh, where to start, where to start. Early on you figured out what Christian was doing to me. You and no one else. Everyone else was completely oblivious. Eventually, Harry, Hermione, and my brother discovered what you already knew, and before I realized what I was doing, I blamed you. I know, I know, it was stupid and idiotic of me, but I did it nonetheless. I'd like to say that Christian forced me to say it, but that's not the truth. He did threaten me, warning me that I couldn't tell anyone that it was him, but that still doesn't make what I did right._

_You know that everything I said to you about moving on and forgetting you was all a lie, right? Well, if you don't, then I hope you know it now. All the lies I told you about how we couldn't ever be together were wrong. _**You**_ were right. If we would've both worked at what we had, then we could've made it._

_But that's the past, and I'm getting carried away. Back to my explanation._

_So I blamed all my injuries on you, saying that you were the one abusing me. The trio believed me in an instant, and they set out straight away to confront you. We soon found you down by the lake, unfortunately, and you found out about the lie I told them. I've never felt more worse in my entire life when I looked up at your face and saw how betrayed you looked. It nearly killed me._

_Everything got so out of hand…I…I don't know what else to tell you. I guess, once it was all over with Christian I thought we could be together. I learned how important it was to be with the person you love, and I wasn't about to let my brother, family, or any other person stand in my way of being with you. _

_Little did I know, you had already moved. I hurt you too much for you to forgive me. I accept this fact, and I want you to know that I'll regret this for the rest of my life. _

_I guess I should stop. You probably won't even read this, but if you do, I want you to take away only two things from this whole letter._

_One, I am so incredibly sorry. I never meant to hurt you, and it kills me that I hurt you so much._

_Two…well…I love you. I love you more than anything else in this whole entire world. _

_Well, that's it. Goodbye, Draco. The most I can ask from you is that you could find it in your heart to forgive me._

_Love always,_

_Ginny_

Ginny finished the letter with tears streaming down her porcelain cheeks. Writing all that down had taken a lot out of her, and she hoped Draco would at least read it. Ginny grabbed one of her roommate's owls and tied the letter.

"To Draco Malfoy," she told the bird quietly. In one big swoosh, it took off out the window, out to find its recipient. She watched it fade into the night with remorse, but at least she could sleep now. She'd told Draco everything that she couldn't say to his face, and that's all she could do. What happened next was entirely up to him.

Draco was stationed in his dormitory bedroom. He had stormed into the castle and walked straight to his Head Boy room, trying to calm himself down, but anger and sadness at his own actions were controlling his mood.

A sharp rapping on the window interrupted his thoughts.

He huffed in annoyance but went to the window anyway where, floating serenely in front of his face, was a plain, brown barn owl. He took the letter tied around its foot, and the bird flew away.

His heart sank the moment he recognized the flowing script: it was from Ginny. He threw it aside, utterly disgusted. _The nerve of her!_ Ever since he had returned to his room, he had let his anger get the better side of him. Who cared what happened to Ginny? Who cared if she got hurt? Hell, _he_ was the one who had been hurt!

His anger was controlling him, so he refused to read the letter. Draco leaned back on his bed and fell asleep instantly.

The next morning was incredibly dull and boring. Actually, the following mornings were incredibly lame, but for Ginny, they were also incredibly painful. Draco had kept up his angry stance and wasn't speaking to her at all. She'd tried to talk to him after class a couple of times and tried to start a conversation when she bumped into him in the hallways, but nothing worked. He wouldn't even _look_ at her.

Ginny was miserable.

As for Draco, he was doing all right. He tried to forget everything that included Ginny as much as possible, and for the most part, he was pretty good at it. He managed to swing back into the life he'd lived when Ginny was just some annoying, little girl that he didn't know or care about. He had the girls fawning over him–though he couldn't ever stop that–but now he was paying attention to them. Before, all he ever had time to think about was Ginny, but now, his range of girls was enormous.

Yes, Draco was doing alright.

…Or that's what he told himself. Somewhere amidst the girls, a feeling tore at Draco's heart. He couldn't figure out what it was for the life of him! But every single second of every single day it tugged and nagged at him, telling him that something wasn't right…that something was missing.

But besides that, Draco was fine. Yes, he was doing alright.

Charms class was very uncomfortable for Ginny. She sat alone, in the back of the class, in the seat she used to occupy. She was no longer welcome in the spot next to Draco, she didn't want to be anywhere _near_ Christian, and she couldn't stand the sympathetic and concerned looks that she got from the trio.

What was even worse was that Ginny's magic was off. She couldn't do self-illusioning at all, and when Flitwick asked her to give an example again, he was very disappointed. She couldn't do nonverbal magic either. Every time she tried to send her cushion zooming around the classroom, it just sat stupidly on her table, completely motionless.

Ginny was feeling hopeless. She could feel the similar symptoms of depression that she once had overcoming her again. The feelings she experienced were dark and disheartening, but somehow comforting with their familiarity. Ginny knew she shouldn't welcome back those depressing feelings, but it somehow felt right. Everything that had gone on with Draco was way too good to be true. All the attention she had gotten from her brother and his best friends wouldn't last. It just felt right to go back to the dark, little hole that she had momentarily crawled out of.

"Ginny?" Her brother called out to her. Ginny was walking up to her dormitory when the voice stopped her…but only momentarily. She kept walking, more than ready to close herself up and bottle up everything.

"Come on, Gin, get back here." Hermione's voice struck a little deeper than her brother's. She, at least, had a bit of Ginny's interests at heart. She turned around slowly to see the Wonder Team facing her determinedly.

"Ginny, we're worried about you," Harry said. These words made Ginny roll her eyes. _Right_, she thought. They were fine when someone was beating the crap out of her, but now that she was free and safe, they were 'worried' about her. Ginny turned around and kept walking to her dormitory.

"Ginny, please!" Hermione's voice was so sad, so desperate. Ginny couldn't take it.

"What? What do you want with me?" Her tone sounded harsh, even to her, but they deserved it; they honestly did.

"Gin, we want to help you." Hermione said the words quietly, but Ginny heard every one of them. She looked at them, completely flabbergasted.

"What?" she asked incredulously. "You want to help me? You are unbelievable! You want to help me when I'm _not_ in any danger? You want to help me when I am _completely_ safe and all right? You don't even notice when someone's beating the crap out of me on a regular basis, but you notice when I'm not Miss Sunshine? You all are utterly unbelievable."

"Ginny, it's not like that!" Ron argued. The anger was bubbling up inside Ginny now. It was so much easier to be angry at them, to take out all her pain on the three people that were never really there for her.

"Then what's it like, Ron?" she demanded angrily. "Huh? Tell me, please, because I'm dying to know!" Ron backed away as Ginny's fury hit him dead on. He'd never seen Ginny this way. She'd always been calm and quiet, never vicious or angry.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he asked her angrily. She wasn't the only one who could get pissed. Ginny stepped up to him only inches from his face.

"You want to know what's wrong with me?" Ginny asked in a deathly quiet voice.

Ron narrowed his eyes at his younger sister. "Yes, yes I do."

"Well, if you have to ask," she said, her sadness overcoming the anger, "then you'll never know."

With those last words, she turned around and left them standing there. They didn't call her back, but merely let her words sink in. Ron dropped dramatically in a nearby armchair and let out a deep, long sigh.

"Will you try to talk to her?" he asked Hermione desperately. If anyone could connect with Ginny, then it would have to be Hermione.

"I don't know if she'll talk." Hermione looked to the stairs sadly.

It hurt her to see Ginny that way. In some ways, she thought of Ginny as her younger sister, though Hermione knew she didn't always give Ginny the time of day. But it was hard! She was constantly dealing with Harry and Ron, trying to keep the peace between the three of them, keep them out of trouble, and manage to do all the homework. It was a tough job.

Hermione sighed, but that'd didn't make it right that she'd ignored Ginny for the past couple of years.

"I'll try," Hermione said after a moment. Of course she'd have to try; she couldn't just give up and leave Ginny abandoned and alone. Hermione trudged up the stairs into the room she knew Ginny and her classmates occupied. She knocked twice but got no answer.

"Ginny?" she asked tentatively. Maybe this was a bad idea…but, no, she couldn't give up on Ginny. Hermione tried the handle, but it was locked.

"Come on, Gin, open up."

No answer. Was she really going to have to break in just to talk to the girl?

"Gin?"

No answer, again. Hermione whipped out her wand and gave her wand a flick, saying the incantation mentally. The door unlocked and Hermione stepped through.

Ginny was lying on her bed, gazing up at the ceiling. She didn't move, didn't even acknowledge that Hermione was there. As Hermione got closer, she could see silent tears falling from the red head's eyes.

Ginny gave one big sigh then spoke. "What do you want, Hermione?"

Hermione looked at Ginny sadly. It was so obvious how hurt the girl was. How come she'd never seen it before?

"I want you to wake up and be genuinely glad to be alive. I want to see you smile and laugh and have a good time. I want to see you talk to people, be social, and have friends."

Hermione watched Ginny the whole time she was speaking. Every word brought more pain to Ginny's face to the point where Hermione didn't think she could stand it.

"Ginny," she began again, "all I want is for you to be happy." Ginny started sobbing a little, and Hermione couldn't stop the tears falling from her own eyes. It was a very emotional moment, let me tell you. Hermione embraced Ginny fiercely, wishing that she could take away all the pain.

"Do you want to talk about it at all?" Hermione asked cautiously. She honestly wanted to help Ginny, but she didn't want to push her too far by being too nosy. Ginny looked at the bushy haired brunette. She could see genuine concern on the girl's features. _Would it be so awful to spill on everything that I've been through?_ Ginny wondered. _Would it be _that_ terrible to want to confess to someone how hurt and broken I am?_

Ginny knew she had the right to, but she didn't want to go over everything, not now anyway. It was all still too fresh for her to be able to handle. She knew that she'd break down in tears if she thought about the times when she was with Draco.

"You don't have to, you know," Hermione said quietly, but in that moment, Ginny truly wanted to. Screw how awful she'd feel later, she wanted, no _needed_, to get it all out. Hermione got up slowly and started walking to the door.

"Wait," Ginny whispered. _It's not too late to just let her leave_. But part of Ginny had already made up its mind. She needed to talk to someone, needed someone to listen with genuine interest…she needed a friend. Hermione turned around, trying to not get her hopes up.

_This is it,_ Ginny thought. She took one big breath and began the whole story. She started from the very beginning and didn't forget one detail. She and Hermione laid on her bed for hours as they talked about everything. There were moments when it hurt Ginny too much to continue, moments where her breath caught in the back of her throat, and her heart would skip a beat. In these moments, Hermione waited patiently for Ginny to find the strength to continue, and Ginny always did.

Hours melted away into the night as they spoke to one another, though, they were sure to be quiet for the sake of the other sleeping roommates, and when Hermione finally left to turn in for the night, Ginny felt an odd sense of cleanliness. She felt light and free. Just by telling Hermione about the pain and agony, she'd felt some of it partially leave her. As the minutes went by, Ginny could feel little specks of hope fill her up.

When Ginny fell asleep, she dreamed of a bright and sunny world, feeling nothing but happiness and joy.

Too bad dreams aren't reality.

Ginny walked into the Great Hall feeling more optimistic about life, but her hope suddenly vanished with just one glance at the Slytherine table. She hadn't even meant to look that way, but a pair of steely gray eyes that were looking in her direction had caught her attention. The moment she looked at him, she wished she hadn't.

It may have been her imagination, but Ginny had thought she had seen Draco looking at her from out of the corner of her eye. But when she looked his way, he was flirting and laughing with some blonde. _So, this is how it's going to be?_ She wondered angrily, finally realizing that Draco meant to go on living life like she didn't exist. _Well, fine. I can act that way too._

Ginny lifted her chin up and held her head high as she walked across the Great Hall. No one paid her any bit of attention; no, they didn't mind her one bit, but Ginny wasn't about to let that get her down.

She sat down at the Gryffindor table, a huge smile on her face.

"You seem to be feeling better," Harry said with a huge smile of his own. Ron and Hermione flashed her huge smiles as well, and she was enveloped in their conversation, and for the first time, in a long time, Ginny felt wanted, like they really desired for her to be there. A little voice in the back of her head told Ginny that they were only doing that just to make her feel better.

But what did it matter? If they were being nice to her, talking to her, and including her to make her feel better, then why shouldn't she let them? It was definitely working.

But what if they just dropped her after a couple of days? What if they realized what an annoying tag-along she was being and just left her to die? No, she wouldn't think about that. She'd wait and see, and if it happened, then she'd deal with it then. Ginny was feeling happy–well, not genuinely joyful, but content, at least–as she lived in the moment, and she wouldn't think about the dark times ahead. She'd just live every second with them and maybe even try to make new friends.

* * *

Well, seconds turned into days, and days turned into weeks, and before Ginny knew it, she had a life again. It was the weirdest thing in the world! Not only did Harry, Ron, and Hermione not drop her after a few days, but they always wanted to know if she wanted to do something, whether it be to sneak down to the kitchens, go stargazing in the Astronomy Tower, or to have snowball fights in the newly fallen snow. And, it seemed to her, that they actually enjoyed her company, now that she laughed and smiled and talked to people, that is.

Ginny also had made some friends in her own year. Daniella, Dani for short, had latched onto Ginny almost immediately. It was like Dani could tell that Ginny was a completely different person! Ginny realized that she and Dani didn't really have much in common, but they could make each other laugh easy as pie; and that was good enough for the both of them.

Along with Dani came her small group of friends. Dani's group welcomed her in and made her feel as comfortable as ever. The group was made up of people, some who Ginny had know since her first year, who loved to have fun; they always had to be doing something entertaining. There was Michael, Ariel, Donny, Rose, and Derek. Out of all of them, Ginny got along best with Rose. Rose was slightly different from the other five. She was quieter, more thoughtful, and kind of shy. Ginny felt like she could relate to the girl at once.

And a plus, Christian had moved back to wherever he had came from, leaving Ginny alone and free to be happy. The day he walked off of Hogwarts grounds, onto the train and back home had been the best day of Ginny's life.

So, in a few short weeks–a month and a half to be exact–Ginny had a group of friends, two very best friends, and the amazing trio. It was much more than anything Ginny could've ever wanted.

She was happy, inside and out…but there was something, something tugging at the edges of her mind.

Ginny knew it was Draco. No matter how much she tried–and believe me, she tried _very_ hard–she could've seem to forget him. Ginny would go over ever bit of pain, every flash of anger she had felt to try to get over him, but it didn't seem like it was possible. Eventually she just gave up on trying to forget him.

She had figured that Draco was like an itch. He was something that was constantly bugging her, reminding her of the incessant irritation, but she couldn't figure out how to get rid of him. Sometimes she'd think about him so much and dissect every single conversation she'd ever had with him in her head, but he always kept on bugging her. Other times, she'd forget about him entirely, for days even…until someone mentioned him or pointed him out to her in the crowd and then the irritation would be back.

It was maddening.

* * *

"Draco, what's wrong with you man?" Blaise's voice rang through the empty room. Draco looked up to see his fellow Slytherin walking through the door.

"Nothing," Draco answered evenly. He had been thinking about a very pressing issue and didn't really want to be interrupted, but it didn't seem that Blaise would be going anywhere.

"Not just now, but lately. You've been so out of it for the past month." Draco sighed. This was one reason that Draco never liked to get close to Blaise. He could sense things so much better than the two rocks–Crabbe and Goyle–that Draco preferred to be around. He hated that Blaise could sense his own distress and misery; weaknesses that he didn't want to be associated with.

"Nothing," Draco said again.

"You may fool everyone else, even the teachers," Blaise began, walking up to Draco, refusing to leave him alone, "but you can't fool me."

"Go away."

"Draco, my man. Come on." Blaise tried again, but no response. He waited a moment more, but Draco said nothing.

"Fine. Have it your way." Blaise grunted, walking out of the room and leaving Draco alone with his thoughts.

"You really want to know what's wrong?" Draco asked, knowing that Blaise was already gone. He opened his mouth again, trying to find the words to explain it to himself, but nothing came to him.

"You want to know what's wrong me?" he repeated the question. The one word response was out before he even thought about it:

"Ginny."

* * *

**A/N:** New chapter, so what do you thing? I'll never know unless you **READ **and **REVIEW!**


	11. Christmas Surprise

Chapter 11: Christmas Surprise

* * *

"GINNY!"

Dani jumped onto Ginny's bed enthusiastically.

"Come on, Gin! It's Christmas, and you're just lying there like a dead log!"

Ginny smiled into her pillow as she listened to Dani urge her to get up. It was nice to have a good friend.

"Ginevra Weasley! Seriously, girl, if you don't wake up this instant, then I'll be forced to open all your presents for you!" Dani said as she jumped on Ginny's bed.

Ginny was up in a flash. Dani squeaked in shock, losing her balance and crashing down next to Ginny. The two girls laughed hysterically, which, in turn, woke up the rest of Ginny's roommates who had slept through Dani's screams. The other girls groaned, but Dani just made a face.

"Oh come on, you lazies. It's Christmas for goodness sakes!" Dani then leaped off the bed and grabbed a small parcel from the foot of Ginny's bed. Ginny watched with glee, and snatched it from Dani before the girl could even open her mouth. Dani just smiled.

"That one's from me," she said quieter. "It's just a little something, nothing extremely special…" Her voice trailed off.

Ginny just gave her a look and tore the package open. Inside was a simple, silver ring. It had a plain criss-cross pattern all around, and Ginny immediately slipped it onto her finger.

"Dani!" She squealed loudly. "This is so amazing!"

Ginny noticed the slight blush creeping up Dani's cheeks and smiled. It wasn't often that she saw her best friend blush. Daniella Barton was a strong girl who was unfazed by almost everything.

"It's no biggie," she said quickly, "but considering you're my best and truest friend, I thought I should get you something."

Ginny hugged Dani tight, knowing that Dani sacrificed a lot to get her the gift. It must've cost her a month's worth of wages. Ginny held on for a long time until her friend started to shake her off humorously.

"Alright, alright, enough with the love," Dani exclaimed, but Ginny saw the warmth in her smile.

"I really love it…oh!" Ginny said quickly, jumping up from her bed to retrieve something from her bedside cabinet. Dani peeked at Ginny curiously, but it was no matter, Ginny returned quickly with a package of her own in her hands.

"Here," Ginny said enthusiastically, handing over the small present. Dani's face lit up; it wasn't often that she received many gifts, considering the fact that her family was dirt poor—another characteristic the girls had in common.

"Oh, Gin," she said exasperated, "you didn't have to get me anything." But Ginny just smiled fiercely. She watched as Dani tore the brown paper away and was pleased to see her light up with glee.

Dani laughed hysterically with Ginny joining her, and they continued this nonsense for a good five minutes.

Finally, wiping tears away from her eyes, Dani was able to speak.

"Wow, Ginny. This is the greatest gift I've ever gotten!"

Dani held up a small, lacey looking piece of fabric. They both stared at it. The thing was basically strings and a small strip of see-through cloth sewn together.

A week ago, Ginny and Dani were flipping through a woman's muggle magazine supplied by Mr. Weasley, who thought it would be amazing if Ginny could learn more about the muggle world. The two friends were laughing and giggling at all the ridiculous clothes they found in the small, colorful book and were astounded when they came across a certain page.

The page was littered with pictures of underwear just like the one Dani held in her hand. The girls were curious at first, but when they discovered that this so called "thong" was actually meant to be some sort of under-garment, they cracked up with laughter.

Ginny smiled at the memory; it was one of the happiest days of her life—simply sitting in her dormitory on a cold, winter day and knowing she had a best friend like Dani was something Ginny could've only dreamed of.

"So you like it?" Ginny asked hesitantly. Dani just laughed.

"Of course I do, silly! It's hysterical." Dani raised her eyebrows mischievously, and Ginny knew a crazy plan was forming in the girl's head.

"What now?" Ginny groaned. Dani grinned back at her, loving how her friend knew her so well.

"Well," she started, "seeing how this is a gift—given by my bestest friend in the world—I think it would be a shame not to use it!"

With that exclamation, she shot up and raced to the door.

"Oh, Dani, you can't be serious, can you?" Ginny questioned.

At the door, Dani just shrugged slyly until she turned and disappeared. Ginny smiled to herself, and immediately looked to her other gifts.

There were the normal gifts: a homemade sweater along with a special box of chocolate chip cookies from her parents, a book entitled Homework Overload? The Solution Is Easy from Hermione, jokes and tricks from Fred and George, candy and sweets from Ron, and a small hair clip from Harry.

Ginny smiled at the last one: only Harry would give her a hair accessory. There were other small presents from Charlie, Bill, and Percy, but nothing big, but she didn't mind. She knew that everyone was a bit tight on money this year.

Ginny plopped back down on her bed, a big smile on her face. All the gifts were great; it was a wonderful Christmas!

At that moment, Dani stormed back into the room. She had a strange look on her face, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh.

"So?" Ginny asked curiously. Dani walked over to her bed and sat down gingerly.

"It kind of feels like butt floss," she stated, which immediately sent the girls into more hysterics.

The laughter eventually died down, and Dani leaned over the edge of the bed, picking up one last gift.

"Oooh," she said loudly. "Now who is _this_ from?"

Ginny just gave her a look and snatched away the last parcel. She completed missed it earlier, not expecting anything from anyone else.

"I don't know," Ginny answered back.

"Well, then open it, silly!"

Ginny opened the card first. The card was a coal black color, and the writing was engraved in silver:

_G-_

_You deserve the world, but I hope this will do._

_D-_

_P.S. I can't stop thinking about you._

When Ginny was done, she sat there frozen. Dani snatched the card from her and read it quickly.

"Oh my goodness, Gin! It looks like you've got yourself a secret admirer!" Dani squealed in delight, "But who is this D guy?"

Ginny's first thoughts went straight to Draco, and she felt a stab pierce her heart. She still couldn't forget about him, but sadly, it was easier for her to manage lately. Her friends were always with her, making her laugh and smile, and she could feel memories of Draco slipping away, but never leaving completely, only hiding for a bit while Ginny tried to live normally.

"Oh, I know!" Dani squealed, and Ginny's heart quickened. She had told Dani everything that happened between her and Draco; she just couldn't keep the secret from one of her best friends. It would've felt wrong to keep such a big part of her a secret.

"It's Derek!"

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't discuss Draco anymore, and Ginny was glad for the help to try and forget him…even though she knew that was impossible. Still, she could at least keep _that_ part of her a secret. Dani didn't have to know that whenever Draco _did_ pass through her mind, that it felt like someone was cutting her heart out. Dani didn't have to know the worst part about the whole situation: Ginny was still completely in love with Draco.

"Hello?" Dani called out to Ginny, waving a hand in front of her friend's face. Ginny snapped out of it, and turned her attention back to Dani. "Sheesh, daydream much?" But Dani was just kidding, a wide smile plastered to her face.

"You really think it's from Derek?" Ginny asked slowly. Half of her wished it was from Derek. After all, the two of them had been flirting non-stop the last two weeks. Ginny admitted that it was nice—but it was nothing compared to what she felt when she was with Draco.

The other half of her yearned to believe it was from Draco. Her mind jumped to conclusion after conclusion. If he sent her this gift, it must mean that he still cares, and if he still cares, then it must be a sign that he wants to rekindle or restart something.

"Yes," Dani said firmly, "I really do think it's from Derek." She knew Ginny well enough to know what Ginny was hoping for.

Ginny gave a slight smile.

"Well, whether you know who it's from or not, you might as well open it," Dani said as she rolled her eyes. Ginny's smile widened as she stared at Dani. It was weird how Dani knew her so well.

Ginny turned her attention back to the parcel and opened it. She unwrapped it carefully this time, and when she pulled the paper away, she gasped. In her lap was a stunning pearl necklace. For a second, Ginny forgot to breathe. She was just staring at the gift in her lap, turning it over in her hands with her mind void of thought.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Dani breathed. "It's beautiful!"

Ginny could only nod. She immediately undid the clasp and wrapped it around her neck; it was the perfect length, falling a couple inches past her collar bone.

Dani was thinking quickly, the shock of the gift having worn off. She cared about Ginny, even loved her like a sister, but this gift could only mean trouble.

She knew that Derek didn't have the money for a gift like that, which meant it must have been from Draco. This was bad.

Ginny thought none of her new friends had noticed her before only two months ago, but this was a sad lie that Dani allowed her friend to believe. In truth, Rose knew of Ginny before Dani took the girl under her wing. Rose explained to Dani how sad and lonely Ginny had been, going through the motions of life without a single care. She told how everything changed when Ginny meant Draco. Things were good, but suddenly, everything came crashing down around Ginny.

Rose said how she observed Ginny at her lowest point ever, which was the two weeks after the break-up or dumping or whatever.

Dani believed Rose without hesitation. She often found Rose simply sitting around, watching people around her who went throughout their days completely over-looking their watcher.

Anyway, the point is, Dani never wanted to have Ginny go through an ordeal like that again.

"You know what," Dani said suddenly, 'I'm going to go see if Derek really did get it for you."

Ginny sat there, staring down at the necklace that draped around her pale neck.

"Ginny!" Dani said a bit loudly, and Ginny just looked at her. "Why don't you get dressed, and I'll see if I can catch Derek before he leaves for the holidays. Okay?"

Ginny nodded robotically. Once Dani left, Ginny leapt up from her spot on the bed and went over to her trunk. She opened it once, seeing all her clothes packed for the trip and then closed it. Before opening it again, she muttered an incantation. The next time she opened it, she saw three things neatly placed at the bottom of the trunk.

The black high heeled shoes were still gorgeous, and the little black dress was even more stunning. Ginny ignored those two and picked up the last object: a beautiful necklace with an amber pendant.

She gazed back and forth between the two necklaces, secretly hoping that the new one was from the same person.

* * *

Dani ran down the length of the corridor, keeping her gaze on a mop of dark brown hair in front of her.

"Derek!" she called out loudly. He stopped suddenly and turned around to see Dani chasing him down the hall.

"Hey, Dani," he said cheerfully. "Happy Christmas!"

She waved him off, and bent over to try and catch her breath.

"Yeah, yeah, Happy Christmas to you too. Anyways, _please_ tell me you gave Ginny a Christmas gift!"

His face fell a little.

"Well, I was going to," he began, but Dani just groaned and slumped over on the floor. "Look, I'm sorry, Dani! I thought getting her a gift would be really forward, and I'm not evem sure if she likes me or not…" he trailed off. "I just decided that it was better that I make sure that she likes me before I did something like that."

Dani just groaned again.

"Oh, no, it's fine," she sighed. "It's not your fault, and I'm sorry that I seemed angry with you."

She sat there for a few moments, ideas flooding through her head.

"Look, Dani," he stammered, "I really have to get going. My mum and dad are coming personally to pick me up, and I'm already late."

"BINGO!" Dani shouted. She hopped up from the ground with a smile on her face.

"What?" Derek stammered, now confused more than ever.

"Alright," she started, looking directly into Derek's eyes, "here's the plan. You bought Ginny the necklace that she opened this morning and only signed it with the initial D—"

"But wait!" he interrupted. "I didn't get Ginny anything. I just told you that."

"I know, I know," Dani said exasperated, wishing Derek would just follow along. "But she got this beautiful pearl necklace this morning as a gift, and the person only signed with an initial, except this person is a total creep." Dani continued quickly, hoping Derek was keeping up.

"The person is totally wrong for her, and I know Ginny doesn't even like this person." Dani was stretching the truth, and she knew it. But it didn't matter because she needed to in order to protect her best friend.

"So, it would be way more convenient if you just say you got it for her. This way, Ginny doesn't need to bother with pesky jerks, and you can come in and sweep her off her feet!" Dani finished dramatically, looking expectantly at Derek.

"I don't know," he replied slowly. "I don't think its right for me to take credit for a gift like that."

"Oh, just say it's not real or something," Dani said quickly. Derek gave her a look, and Dani knew he didn't want to do it.

"It's just not right, Dani," he continued.

"_Please_," Dani whispered, "trust me when I say that if you own up to sending her this necklace, you will save her from a world of pain."

Derek looked at her quizzically, but he could sense the truth in her voice. Going against his better judgment, he agreed. He wished Dani a Happy Holidays a little less enthusiastically than earlier and went to search for his parents.

Dani was so happy that Derek went along with her plan that she ran all the way up to Gryffindor Tower to tell Ginny. Dani found her best friend sitting silently on her bed, the necklace completely out of sight.

"Good news, Gin!" Dani said excitedly. Ginny only turned to listen to Dani out of politeness. "Derek really did send the necklace! I barely caught up with him in the corridor, but I got there in the nick of time. He admitted he sent it to you, and he wanted to know if you liked it."

Ginny didn't reply, so Dani simply continued.

"Well, of course I told him that you loved it, and he said he was _really_ sorry that he couldn't see you in person this morning, that he had to leave early to meet his folks or something. But he wanted me to wish you a Happy Holidays!"

Dani finished brightly, but she could tell that Ginny longed for a different answer. It nearly tore Dani apart to see Ginny like that, but she knew that in the long run, it would be better for her this way.

Ginny smiled.

"Thanks, Dani," she said halfheartedly. "Well, have fun on break and remember to write, okay?"

Dani agreed and the girls said there goodbyes. Ginny hid her pain and threw away her hopes that Draco had been the one to send her such an amazing gift. _It's better this way_ she told herself. She wasn't exactly sure if this was true, but it was worth a shot.

* * *

He watched her for weeks; he saw her chatting with friends—_real_ friends; he noticed her happiness increase, and he noticed, angrily, how she flirted with one of her new friends.

All of this killed Draco to witness, but he couldn't help himself. He found himself following after her or watching her from across the room unconsciously. Ginny was totally oblivious, of course. She had this new, amazing life now. _A life without me_ he thought sadly.

One day, an urge overcame Draco to do something about their situation. He still loved her; he knew it now, and he also came to terms with the fact that he could never love anyone else the same way.

It wasn't proper, he argued with himself, to be moping around all the time, so he decided to do something.

The night before Christmas, he wrapped up the necklace he bought her and wrote up a short note. At first, his hand kept shaking, and he didn't know what to write. But after a good twenty minutes of sitting, he finally wrote what his heart tried to tell him all along.

With a steady hand, he wrote:

_G-_

_You deserve the world, but I hope this will do._

_D-_

_P.S. I can't stop thinking about you._

And before he could change his mind, he sent his owl out to deliver the package. He only hoped he wasn't too late.

* * *

**A/N:** So it's been a while. Sorry! Really, I am! Please **read** and **review**.

Enjoy!


	12. The 10 Challenges

Chapter 12: The 10 Challenges

* * *

The winter holidays flew by for Ginny. She forced herself to forget about Draco, and the thought of Derek really liking her started to stick. _He's a really nice guy_ she told herself daily. There was no reason she shouldn't end up with him. 

Draco's holidays on the other hand weren't as pleasant. He couldn't keep his mind off Ginny no matter what he did. Every day, he waited for a letter to arrive, hoping Ginny would figure out that he sent her the gift and, more importantly, that she felt the same way he did.

* * *

Ginny walked into the common room to find Dani, Rose, and Derek all waiting for her. 

"Hi guys!" Ginny said happily. She looked at Derek and gave him a small smile; he, in turn, smiled back.

"Oh, hey Gin!" Dani greeted warmly. "I missed you so much!"

Ginny just smiled.

"I know," Ginny told her. "You wrote me _every_ day!"

Dani slightly pouted until Ginny told her she missed her too. They all started talking furiously about their vacations and what they received for Christmas. At the mention of this topic, Dani cleared her throat loudly and pulled Rose away so Ginny and Derek could be alone together.

Derek smiled hesitantly.

"So did you like it?" He asked quietly. Ginny grinned and nodded quickly.

"It's beautiful!" She answered truthfully.

They sat there awkwardly for a bit until Derek got the nerve to tell her what was really on his mind.

"Look," he began slowly, "I really like you, Ginny." He looked down at his feet, shuffling them around. His shyness only made Ginny smile more. _He's so sweet_ she thought.

He looked up into her eyes, and reached out his hand tentatively. Ginny's breath caught as he touched her cheek ever so delicately.

"Would you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked softly.

The words couldn't escape Ginny's mouth, so she only nodded and smiled.

"Great," Derek replied, as he stood up. "I'm just going to get changed quickly, but then we can head down to the welcome back feast together."

"Okay," Ginny managed to squeak out. She watched Derek retreat to his dormitory, looking back once to give her a small smile.

Ginny jumped up to get dressed, smiling to herself the entire time. When she got back, Derek was waiting for her. They linked arms and went to the Great Hall.

Ginny was elated, but the whole trip down, she had to force herself to ignore the little feeling she felt in her stomach that told her things were all wrong.

* * *

Draco watched in horror as Ginny walked into the Great Hall with her arm linked with some guy. He tried to get her attention, but she was either ignoring him or completely oblivious. 

Jealousy and anger flooded through him, but it was quickly replaced with sadness. He had thought and hoped that Ginny would come back to him ready and willing to make things work. _I'm such an idiot_ he thought sadly.

* * *

Dani saw Derek and Ginny approaching, and she jumped up with glee. She noticed the hooked arms and smiles each one had on their faces. 

"Aw! You two are _the_ cutest couple ever!" She squealed. Derek smiled wider, and Ginny blushed.

"So when did this happen?" Dani asked as they sat down.

"Just a little bit ago," Derek answered, turning to smile at Ginny.

"Aw! I'm just _so_ happy for the both of you!" Dani looked at Ginny specifically at this point, wondering what was going through her head.

"Aren't you happy?" Dani asked Ginny eagerly. Ginny turned to look at Derek and replied.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

Ginny glanced to the Slytherin table out of habit, and noticed immediately that someone was already watching her.

Draco turned away quickly, trying to control his emotions and his urge to punch something…_or someone_ Draco thought, thinking about Derek. _Who is this kid anyway?_

Blaise glanced over at Draco, noticing how his face was scrunched up in frustration.

"You alright, Draco?" Blaise asked quietly. Draco looked up at Blaise, who sat across from him and quickly made his face devoid of emotion, but it was too late. Blaise already noticed something wasn't right.

"Holidays not go as planned?" Blaise asked, not giving up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Draco answered harshly. "What's it to you?"

Blaise looked at Draco seriously. Even though Draco was known for his cold demeanor and harsh words, Blaise was one of the few who never received any of his remarks. The tone in Draco's voice alone was something completely different. Blaise knew something was terribly wrong, but he also knew better than to keep questioning Draco, especially around other people.

"Never mind," Blaise said quickly, returning to his dinner.

Dumbledore stood up in the front of the Great Hall and cleared his throat loudly. The talking and laughter died down quickly; Dumbledore had that affect on people.

"I hope you all had a wonderful holiday," he said. The Great Hall was completely silent because the students knew there was more. "I also hope that this new year brings many good things to all of you," he continued, "and to help with that, the ministry has agreed to an idea that the staff and myself have proposed."

If the Great Hall was quiet before, then it was nothing compared to how it was now. It seemed like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for more.

"We decided that the older students here deserve something special for the effort they've been putting in throughout their years at Hogwarts. We have thought of an idea to reward out sixth and seventh year students."

At the mention of this, several of the younger students groaned, but silence soon fell over the Great Hall again. The older students were on the edge of their seats, waiting to hear more about this reward. Even Draco momentarily forgot about his dilemma concerning Ginny.

"We've created a sort of contest called The 10 Challenges, hoping to promote inter-house relationship. The competition would be a series of events where different teams will compete to earn points in hopes of winning the grand prize."

Dumbledore paused, a smile playing at his lips. The students were _dying_ to hear what he was about to say, and he couldn't help but drag it out a little more.

"The grand prize," he continued, "would be an all expense paid trip to Italy to—" Dumbledore didn't even finish before the hall erupted with squeals of delight and whoops of happiness. The headmaster waited patiently for the students to calm down.

In his seat, Draco rolled his eyes. He owned a private summer house in Italy; he didn't need to win a free trip there.

"Specifics about the competition will be explained later this week, and on Friday, you all will find out who is on your team."

Murmurs passed through the student body, as people questioned their neighbors about the teams. Weren't they at least allowed to pick their own teams?

"As for now," Dumbledore said loudly, quieting the whispers, "I hope you all enjoy the rest of the feast and have a nice, long sleep because classes begin straight away tomorrow!"

He sat back down, and the Great Hall came to life again as people turned to their friends and hurriedly talked about The 10 Challenges.

"A _free_ trip to Italy!" Dani squealed delightedly. "Can you imagine how amazing that would be?"

Derek squeezed Ginny's hand and turned to talk to her.

"Going to Italy for free would be amazing, wouldn't it?" he asked her.

"It would be _incredibly_ amazing," Ginny agreed. She hadn't had a real vacation in a long time, knowing that her family couldn't afford it. It would be so awesome if she won this competition thing.

The 10 Challenges dominated all the conversations of the students for the rest of the night…even the Slytherins were excited.

"A free trip to Italy!" A sixth year Slytherin squealed in delight.

"I bet the Italian women are b-u-t-ful," a seventh year Slytherin commented.

Draco snorted loudly and the table turned to him; he just rolled his eyes.

"Italy," Draco said dramatically. "Whoop-de-do."

Blaise gave Draco a look.

"Hey man, just because you own a summer house in Italy doesn't mean that the rest of us do. To us, this grand prize is still cool."

Draco just rolled his eyes again and stood up to leave. The rest of the table watched him leave the Great Hall but continued talk about The 10 Challenges despite his harsh words.

Ginny and her table were talking excitedly and imagining what it would be like to go to Italy. She looked up just in time to see Draco storm out of the Great Hall. The smile on her face vanished, and she had the urge to follow him. Ginny shook her head, trying to forget about him, but she couldn't help but wonder what was wrong.

* * *

The first couple of days went by rather quickly for Ginny. Excitement mixed with happiness (somewhat forced) made the week fly by. The one thing about her friends that Ginny didn't like was the fact that she _always _had to be happy around them. Being upset or sad just didn't cut it. 

Ginny was doing well in all her classes again, and she knew that her newly made friends had definitely helped her. However, there was one class of Ginny's that couldn't go by any slower: advanced charms.

Ginny dreaded this class. She didn't want to see Draco, wishing only to forget about him and her feelings towards him. It felt like forever ago that Draco was saving her from the evil Christian, and she missed that feeling of being cared for.

_You have Derek now!_ She told herself fiercely, shaking away thoughts of Draco. She now sat at a table with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who still treated her like a friend even though Ginny originally feared that they would just forget about her like before.

"Hiya Gin," Hermione said enthusiastically as she sat down next to Ginny.

"Hi Hermione," Ginny replied. They didn't have time to talk because Flitwick walked into the room at that exact moment. He walked to the front of the class, and as Ginny turned to look at him, she saw a pair of silver-gray eyes staring at her. She completely ignored Draco and kept her eyes glued on her professor. _Why_ she thought_ after two straight months of ignoring me, is he now acknowledging that I exist?_

"Alright class," Flitwick began, "are you all ready to begin something new?"

Everyone nodded their heads glad to be done with illusions. They were fun, yes, but practicing them for nearly a month was tedious.

"We will still be practicing nonverbal magic every Friday," Professor Flitwick continued. A few people moaned, but he just ignored them. "I don't care if you can already perform a nonverbal spell. Instead, I want you to be able to perform nonverbal magic better than you can by saying the incantation aloud."

This quieted the class down. _No one_ Ginny thought_ can perform nonverbal magic better than verbal, except maybe Dr—._ She stopped. It wasn't right to think about him.

"We will cover the first unit in the next two weeks," Flitwick informed them. "This is the traditional Healing section taught to all seventh years, but I'm reworking it to make it more difficult for you lot."

Again, the class groaned.

"Hey," their professor said defensively, "if you get in a situation where someone has a broken bone or is bleeding uncontrollably and no one's around, you're going to want to know this stuff."

Again, everyone shut up. Professor Flitwick just smiled as he turned to look for something behind his desk.

The class passed slowly, and Ginny couldn't stop thinking about Draco. She could feel his eyes staring at the back of her head, but she refused to turn around to look at him. Ginny was determined to forget Draco, and outright ignoring his new attention towards her was the first place to start.

When class ended, Ginny packed up her things slowly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione told her they had something to do and rushed off. This might've bugged Ginny a couple months ago, but she was fine with it now. She now understood that sometimes the trio wanted to do things just the three of them.

"Hey," someone said behind her.

Ginny whipped around, finding herself face to face with Draco Malfoy. Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, she couldn't think of anything to say. The moment passed, and she recovered quickly, turning back to pack her things up faster than before.

"How was your holiday vacation?" he asked quietly.

Ginny gave him a strange look, but didn't say anything; she didn't want to get mixed up with Draco ever again…even if it did seem like he still cared. She grabbed her bag and left the classroom without looking back.

* * *

Friday arrived soon enough, and after breakfast, the sixth and seventh years were asked to remain in the Great Hall to wait for more instructions about The 10 Challenges. The room was full of eager chatting and discussions. At the Gryffindor table, Ginny listened as all her friends talked about what kind of events would be included in The 10 Challenges. 

As soon as Dumbledore stepped into the Great Hall, the kids went silent. The Headmaster took his time as he took his place at the front.

"Alright," he began, "first things first. I bet you're all eager to know more about The 10 Challenges."

A few people nodded their heads, but almost everyone sat still, listening and waiting.

"The 10 Challenges is one competition where, as you know, the winning team will earn the grand prize of a free week in Italy. But now, I know you all wish to know the specifics. Ten different competitions will be spread out throughout the rest of the year where teams will earn points depending on how well they do. Okay, Professor McGonagall will now tell you what teams you are all on," Dumbledore finished.

He sat down, and McGonagall walked to the front.

"You will be split up into ten teams," she informed the students. "Team number one…" McGonagall read off the names on a list, sometimes getting reactions from students who heard their names.

Ginny listened eagerly for her name, hoping she would end up with Dani or Derek.

"Team number three," McGonagall began, "is Harry Potter, Pansy Parkinson—" Ginny heard Harry groan. "Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger…" The trio didn't listen to the rest of the names and were already talking excitedly on how they were _definitely_ going to win now.

Ginny's heart quickened at the end of team three. If they had all been put together, then shouldn't she wind up with friends too?

Teams started and began, but Ginny was still waiting for her name to be read. Her friend Rose was on a team with Padma and Parvati Patil, Colin Creevey, Nevil Longbottom, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle. Ginny felt bad for Rose, but her friend didn't seem to mind. Rose was really laid back like that. Whatever happened simply happened; she went with the flow. Two teams were left and Ginny hadn't heard her name yet. Derek nudged her with a smile.

"Maybe we'll be on the same team," he whispered to her. Ginny smiled in return, but her mind was traveling to someone else who also hadn't been mentioned. She tried not to think about Draco, but the events of earlier that week were meddling with her thoughts. _Why did he try to talk to me?_ She wondered. Ginny felt a pang of guilt as she remembered how cold she had acted towards him. _It's for the better_. Ginny convinced herself that week that she needed to make Draco forget her.

It almost killed her to make that decision, but she knew he deserved better. Ginny felt awful when she remembered the whole Christian ordeal, and the worst part about this entire thing was that Ginny had been with Draco; she'd had the chance to be with him, and she completely ruined it.

But that was her reasoning: no matter how much she cared about him, no matter how much he seemed to care for her, she couldn't let anything happen between them again. Things would just end badly, and Ginny knew she'd end up hurting him again. She couldn't stand the idea of hurting Draco the way she had before.

An image of Draco, eyes full of confusion and pain, flooded into Ginny's mind, and she shook her head; he would never know how awful she felt about hurting him.

"Team number eight," McGonagall began, pulling Ginny away from her thoughts, "is Draco Malfoy, Derek Wydell, Lavender Brown, Lisa Turpin, Blaise Zabini, and…" Ginny's heart was racing. She would either be with both Draco and Derek or with other people she hardly knew; in that moment, Ginny wasn't sure which one she'd prefer.

It didn't matter though.

"…and Ginevra Weasley," McGonagall finished. Ginny's heart sank, but Derek turned to her, overjoyed at the set-up.

"That's awesome!" Derek exclaimed, hugging her tight.

"Right," Ginny replied, placing a fake smile on her face. "Great."

Derek was oblivious, only hugging her tighter. Dani looked on sadly, knowing that Ginny must be having a hard time. She sighed and cursed whoever chose the teams; they were about to ruin all her hard work! Dani was trying to keep Draco _away_ from Ginny, and this competition wasn't helping.

McGonagall finished the last team, and Dumbledore, once again, stepped to the front of the Great Hall. This time he had to wait a little while before the students were quiet; they were all talking excitedly, looking over at other tables to wave at fellow teammates.

Draco stole a glance at the Gryffindor table. Ginny had her head slightly down, and she wasn't looking happy though the kid next to her was smiling brilliantly. _Does she not want to be with me?_ When Draco heard Ginny's name called, his heart leapt. He thought that this would give him a chance to win her back.

"You all have your teams now," Dumbledore explained, "and your first assignment is to get together to create a team name, team colors, and a team captain."

Ginny was hardly listening. She was hoping that Dumbledore would allow her to switch teams, even if that meant ditching Derek to be away from Draco.

"And I wanted to remind you that in no case will someone be allowed to switch teams." At this point Ginny could've sworn that Dumbledore looked specifically at her.

"You can either get together right now since lunch will be served shortly," Dumbledore said, "or you may do it sometime this weekend. Either way, you must have all of that sorted out by Monday." He looked around the Great Hall into the faces off the students, seeing a majority of expressions. Some students were happy and others were mad; he noticed specifically that Ginny seemed to be sad, but he wouldn't let her switch. Nope, she'd have to deal with her problems finally instead of just hiding and forgetting about them.

"That is all," Professor Dumbledore concluded.

Everyone got up and moved around excitedly, forming their teams right away.

"Hey Ginny!" someone said enthusiastically. Ginny turned around to see Lavender Brown before her, and she vaguely remembered that Lavender was on her team too.

"Hi," Ginny answered.

"So what do you think about our team?" she asked eagerly. "Personally, I wouldn't choose to freely be on a team with Malfoy or Zabini, but I bet they'll help our team out a lot!"

Ginny just nodded along feeling odd when Derek put his arm around her waist. She was about to shake his hand away when she saw Draco and Blaise walking towards them out of the corner of her eye. Her heart quickened, and she suddenly had the urge to throw up.

"Alright," Blaise said casually, "let's get this thing done and over with."

"Um…"Ginny began hesitantly, "I've got to go."

She didn't look at Draco though she could feel his eyes on her. She tried to get up, but Derek just held on tighter.

"Where are you going, Gin?" he asked. "We're just about to start."

"Yeah!" Lavender chimed in.

"I've just got something I need to do…" Ginny trailed off.

"Don't be silly," Lisa Turpin said. She was the last member of their team, and Ginny only knew that she was a seventh year Ravenclaw. Thinking back, she also remembered that Lisa was in their advanced charms class. "We need everyone here if we want to get everything settled," she finished.

Ginny realized she was fighting a losing battle, so she sat still and quiet the whole time they were discussing. There was exactly thirty minutes before lunch time, and Lisa decided that they'd spend ten minutes on each part of the assignment. Everyone could already see that Lisa wanted to be in charge.

First, they needed a captain.

"Well," Lisa began, "considering that I'm the most organized person here, I think that I should be captain. I can also handle all the stress."

Ginny saw Lavender roll her eyes, while Blaise snorted.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Lisa asked Blaise icily.

"Yes," he replied just as coldly.

"How about," Lavender started, "we just go around the circle voting for whom we think should be captain."

Lisa crossed her arms against her chest angrily but didn't argue.

"Fine," she said, "I'll go first. I vote for me."

She turned to Derek.

"I vote for Ginny," Derek answered. Ginny turned slightly in shock, but he only shrugged.

"Alright," Lisa continued, "who do you vote for Ginny?"

"Um…" she stammered, "I don't know."

"Fine, we'll come back to you," Lisa said quickly.

"I vote Draco," Blaise said.

"Oh! I vote for Draco too," Lavender agreed. Everyone turned to look at Draco. One more vote and he was automatically captain. Ginny could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to look. Instead, she leaned into Derek and took his hand in hers.

Jealousy flooded through Draco as he watched Ginny. He was planning on voting for her, but his sudden anger changed his mind.

"I vote me," he stated.

"Yay!" Lavender cheered. "Okay, we have our captain, so can we pick our team colors next?"

More discussing occurred, but Ginny took no part in it. They eventually decided on black and red, two colors that everyone was happy with except Lisa. Surprise, surprise. The team name was a little harder. People kept throwing names around, mainly Lavender, but no one seemed to agree.

Draco and Blaise joked around with names like "Superior Slytherins" and "Pureblood Pride," but Derek argued that they weren't all Slytherins or purebloods. Lisa threw in the name "Muggle Love," but Draco and Blaise flatly refused to compete under that name.

Ginny was hardly paying attention when a name of her own popped into her head.

"Vincitori," Ginny muttered before she realized it.

"Huh?" Lisa asked, turning to face Ginny. Everyone was staring at Ginny, and she suddenly regretted opening her mouth. They all waited for her to continue, but she didn't say a word.

"She said 'Vincitori,'" Draco answered for her. Everyone's heads swiveled towards him, and this time, Ginny did look at Draco. "It means 'winners' in Italian," he continued, eyes still locked with Ginny's.

"I love it!" Lavender shouted. "It's perfect."

Everyone agreed and started getting their things ready to leave. Ginny and Draco were still staring at each other, but a nudge from Derek broke their eye contact.

"You ready?" he asked her sweetly. Ginny beamed at him and nodded.

"Let's go," Ginny said while grabbing his hand and walking straight passed Draco without another word.

* * *

After the days events both Ginny and Draco came to two different conclusions. 

Ginny was going to try her hardest to ignore Draco, forcing him to forget about her.

Draco was going to piss Ginny off as much as he could for completely ignoring him the entire week.

_It really is for the best_ Ginny thought to herself.

_If that's how she's going to act,_ Draco decided,_ then fine_.

Things were about to get ugly.

**

* * *

A/N: **I'm dooooone! I hope you all like this chapter! **Read** and **review** please! 


	13. The Water Relay

Chapter 13: The Water Relay

**A/N:** Here's a little Ginny/Draco action for all of you. I hope you like it!!

* * *

As the weekend progressed, the students saw various flyers posted around the school, informing everyone about the first event of The 10 Challenges. The first challenge was called Water Relay, but nothing else was given away. The students talked about what this could possibly mean and discussed possible plans to secure victory. 

Teams could be seen huddled together around the school, talking about strategy; Ginny's team wasn't one of them. Lisa tried to talk to all of them as frequently as she could, but everyone ignored her.

The posters told the entire school that the Water Relay would already be next weekend! No one knew what to expect so they all just talked excitedly and counted down the days until the first challenge.

The week passed slowly for Ginny, partly because of anticipation and partly because of some sadness. She noticed immediately that Draco lost his sudden interest in her, and she was hurt by it. _That's what you wanted, Ginny!_ She reminded herself, but it didn't matter; it still hurt. He never looked her way, and even when Lisa pulled them both aside, he completely ignored her.

It was hard for Draco to outright ignore Ginny, but he knew it was for the best. He was so determined to ignore her that in those instances where they were forced together, he overlooked the pain that flashed through Ginny's eyes.

* * *

On Friday, the sixth and seventh years were again allowed to miss morning classes and asked to meet in the Great Hall. Everyone talked eagerly, but Dumbledore and a couple other teachers were quick to move to the front. 

McGonagall briefly repeated the information that was posted around the school. She told them that the Water Relay would be held tomorrow at noon, but beforehand, the teams would be introduced to the rest of the school. After the basics were covered, Dumbledore stepped up to add more.

"I wanted to let you know that this is how all the challenges will be. We will inform you beforehand of the challenge's name and maybe a fact or two about it; other than that, you and your team will be on your own to plan a strategy or simply wing it. We will be giving you a very short period of time tomorrow morning after all the details have been explained to make a plan, but it's up to you to wait until then or not. All the challenges are safe, but if you feel uncomfortable at any time, then you may drop out," Dumbledore informed them.

One student asked whether or not the competition would interfere with their school work and end of school exams. Professor Dumbledore assured the student and the rest of the room that the challenge would _not_ interfere with school, and in fact, the teachers were hoping that this competition would actually help the students. It would force them to think on their toes and would require them to use all their knowledge in hopes of winning.

He also added that if any teacher felt as if a student's work was suffering because of the challenge, then that teacher could temporarily remove the student from the competition until their marks were high enough. With that, he let the teams get together to talk and strategize.

Ginny unwilling followed Lavender and Derek over to where Draco, Blaise, and Lisa were already sitting. Derek actually had to pull her along by the hand to get her to go by Draco. Eventually, the team grouped up to discuss possible plans for tomorrow.

"Does anyone have any ides?" Lavender asked eagerly.

"So all they've told us is that it's a water relay," Lisa explained, "but how could we use water? It's the middle of winter, and the water would either be frozen or _extremely_ cold."

"Hmm…" Lavender pondered. "You have a good point."

"Maybe we should—" Lisa began but Draco cut her off.

"Maybe we should just wing it," he supplied, and Blaise heartily agreed.

"No way!" Lisa argued firmly. "We need to think about this. We need a plan!"

"Alright," Draco continued, "you can think about it all you want. _Some_ of us have enough talent and skill to deal with whatever's thrown our way."

And with that, Blaise and Draco got up and left. Lisa stared after them in shock and wouldn't calm down until Derek assured her over and over again that everything would be okay. After Lisa left, Lavender turned to Derek to question him

"Do you really think we'll be okay?" she asked, and Ginny could detect worry in her voice.

"We'll be absolutely fine," Derek repeated while Ginny nodded along.

"After all," Ginny began, "it's like Malfoy said. If you've got the talent and skill, then there's nothing to worry about, and we're definitely qualified enough to handle this. I think that's the true point of this competition; we need to be able to think our way out of a situation when it's suddenly presented to us, and we need to use all our knowledge to overcome it."

With this bit of encouragement, Lavender left the Great Hall happy and confident.

It was late, and Ginny and Derek were just returning to the Gryffindor common room. Lisa Turpin had attacked them several times during the day, bombarding them with worries and fears, and they only recently calmed her down for what seemed like the twentieth time.

"Well, goodnight Ginny," Derek said slowly. He was standing around in front of the staircase expectantly.

"Yeah, goodnight," she said back, turning away to go upstairs.

"Wait!" Derek said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back down. Ginny stood there a second, waiting for Derek to say something.

"What?"

He stepped in closer and closed his eyes. Ginny's heart started racing but not because she wanted to kiss him. She stepped back quickly, trying desperately to think of an excuse.

"Err," she began, "I really need to go get some sleep. See you in the morning!"

She immediately turned to dash upstairs, wondering why she ran away. They had been dating a while, and it was only natural to kiss the person you liked, but somehow, it didn't feel right to Ginny.

She tossed and turned all night, questioning her own feelings and motives but reached no conclusion. Unfortunately, this made her even more confused and tired in the morning.

* * *

Everyone ate breakfast quickly, and all the sixth and seventh years left early, following Dumbledore and the teachers out on the grounds. The students wrapped their cloaks around them tightly; they were only wearing their team uniforms, and Ginny was absolutely freezing. The girls on her team wore short red shorts and form fitting black t-shirts while the guys wore baggy black shorts and loose, red t-shirts. Both shirts had the team name on the front with the last name of the player on the back. 

Ginny shivered so Derek wrapped an arm around her…but that just made her shiver again. They turned a corner, and all the students gasped and whispered; there was a huge dome that enveloped the entire Black Lake. Whatever covered the lake was transparent, and the students could see vegetation and green surrounding the water, which was a dramatic contrast to the blanket of white snow everywhere else.

They approached the dome and merely stepped through its bubble-like skin. The inside environment was incredibly different from what the students trudged through for the past few minutes! The students began shedding their cloaks and layers to cope with the strikingly warm weather.

Dumbledore stepped to the front of the crowd to address the students.

"Here's what's happening this morning," he began. The entire crowd fell silent. "Each team will be announced to the rest of the school, and then the competition will begin as all groups compete at the same time. For this challenge, every person on your team needs to compete. Half of your team will be on one side of the lake, and the other half will be on the other side; you all will then compete in a relay race across the lake using any of your knowledge and abilities to finish the fastest."

The students could see the rest of the school filing into the stands inside the dome, and the anticipation of the sixth and seventh years heightened. This was the real thing; this is what they'd been waiting for.

Dumbledore then explained that the team that finishes the relay with the fastest time would receive the most points though the judges may award extra points if the team uses really impressive magic. The judges for the entire competition would be Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Flitwick.

"Alright," Dumbledore finished. "You have five minutes to prepare. Good luck!"

The teams grouped up quickly as plans were made and the relay orders were decided.

"Alright," Lisa began, "what should we do?"

"What?" Blaise asked. "You don't already have a plan of your own?"

"Ha ha," she retorted. They sat there in silence for a bit, everyone thinking about a plan.

"Why don't we use illusions?" Ginny suggested. Even though Ginny hardly interacted with the group, she wasn't about to throw it all away because no one else could think of something.

"What are illusions?" Lavender asked. At this point, Lisa jumped in to explain to Derek, Lavender, and Blaise what illusions are.

"Illusions are when magic wraps around something to change its appearance," she explained. Derek, Lavender, and Blaise still looked confused so Ginny tried to help out.

"So in this case, we need to get across the lake some how, right?" she asked them, and they all nodded in agreement. "So, using an illusion, we can take a piece of grass or a flower and pull an illusion around it. The illusion will make it seem like we're sitting in a boat instead of on a piece of grass."

"Right," Lisa jumped in, "then we can magic the oars to paddle fast on their own."

Blaise nodded and said, "Sounds like a good plan."

They just had enough time to figure out their order when Dumbledore called them forward. He told them that the introductions were about to begin, and that all the teams need to do is step forward when their team name is called.

The procession began. Teams stepped forward in turn, and the crowd would go wild and applaud and scream.

"Team Vincitori!" the announcer shouted, and Ginny and her teammates stepped forward. The announcer continued over shouts and screams, introducing everyone. "With Draco Malfoy, a seventh year Slytherin, as the team captain and Derek Wydell, Lavender Brown, Lisa Turpin, Blaise Zabini, and Ginevra Weasley as teammates, this team will definitely be a force to be reckoned with."

The crowd cheered, and team Vincitori stepped to the side as the next team was announced. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's team was introduced as the Winning Wizards, a fact that made Draco and Blaise laugh hysterically, but they stopped quickly as the challenge was about to begin.

Everyone hustled to their stations. Ginny was with Lavender and Draco on the far side of the lake. The whole time the waited Lavender was questioning Ginny nervously.

"It's going to be okay, right?" Lavender asked.

"Yes," Ginny assured her. "All you need to do is to step into the boat and put a little Quick Fix charm on the oars."

Lavender nodded but kept asking questions anyway.

_Lord_, Draco thought, _Brown better not ruin this for us_. Even though he didn't need a free trip to Italy, his competitive side had taken over; he wanted to win this thing, and he wouldn't settle for less than first place.

"Alright," Ginny began. "Here we go."

The announcer sounded an alarm, and Ginny could see people from the other side of the bank begin. Lisa had demanded being the one to start off the relay race so she could perform the illusion herself. Draco and Ginny, who were the only other people who knew how to do illusions, didn't mind.

Ginny watched as Harry, the captain of the Winning Wizards, sped towards their side of the bank. He called his broom with the _Accio_ spell, and within seconds, he was already meeting Hermione, who was next in line.

"Crap," Draco muttered behind her, watching Harry dismount. He turned expectantly back to the lake, looking for Lisa. Lisa was already half way across the lake which was very impressive compared to everyone else's success.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Ginny said to him despite herself. "Look," she said, pointing to Hermione; Hermione was mounting the broom hesitantly, and when she took off, the broom shook and wavered.

Draco laughed as Hermione tried to control the broom, zig-zagging this way and that.

"Oh boy," Lavender squealed. Draco and Ginny turned to see Lisa speeding towards them. She pulled the boat onto shore, and hopped out; Lavender, all fear and anxiety out the window, jumped into the boat and went speeding off.

"Okay," Lisa said. "From what I saw coming across the Black Lake, we're in second so far. We're probably not going to beat the Winning Wizards, but let's just cross our fingers and hope that no other team passes us."

"Err," Ginny began. "I don't think that's going to work."

She pointed to the middle of the lake. It seemed like one team had bewitched the giant squid and was making it swim from bank to bank at lightening speed. Ginny could tell that the beast was moving faster than their little boat.

"Crap," Draco repeated.

"It's fine," Lisa said quickly. "It's fine."

Soon enough the boat was back at Ginny's shore, and she hopped right in while Derek hopped out, and sped off towards the other side. She could barely see Lavender and Blaise waiting for her on the other side of the lake, but half way across the lake Ginny knew something was wrong; the boat started shaking and flickering underneath her. One second she was zooming across the lake, the next moment she was underwater.

Draco watched Ginny as the boat disappeared underneath her. His breath caught suddenly, and he could barely control the urge to run to her to see if she was okay.

"Oh my," Lisa breathed. They watched nervously, waiting for Ginny to resurface. Draco couldn't breathe, and he had his fists balled up tight in anticipation and fear. When Draco couldn't wait one more second, when he just decided that he would jump in the lake to save her, a red mass of hair broke the surface.

Draco breathed out, relaxing.

Ginny spit out the water that plunged into her lungs, coughing and coughing as she tried to stay afloat. She paddled in the water for a few seconds, waiting to clear her head. As soon as she was ready, Ginny searched for something to illusion, and seeing a piece of seaweed a little bit ahead, she swam as fast as she could for it.

She put a strong illusion on it, cursing Lisa aloud for her weak one. Ginny jumped in the boat and performed another Quick Fix on the oars, feeling the boat surge forward again. She relaxed and laid down in the boat, trying to lay still and catch her breath.

Once she got to the shore, she dragged herself out and watched Blaise hop in.

"Oh my gosh!" Lavender screamed. "Are you alright, Ginny?"

Ginny only coughed up water as an answer, watching in disappointment as the team who roped the giant squid finished. They were jumping up and down in excitement, and Ginny could feel her heart sink.

The other teams finished the race sooner and later. Ginny's team ended up finishing second, which was pretty good since Lisa's illusion had gone wrong. Harry's team had difficulty flying a broom. Hermione, compared to the rest of the team did alright with the flying, but it was Hannah Abbot, a seventh year Hufflepuff who really screwed things up for them. About ten feet across, she fell off the broom and couldn't remount it while in the water. Instead, she decided to swim the length of the lake, which took a long time.

That was nothing compared to the team that finished last though. The Hogwarts Hotties, Rose's team, couldn't think of anything at all so they all swam across; their team finished a good thirty minutes after everyone else's.

Everyone grouped together, waiting for the judges to reveal the scores. Everything was rated out of ten points, and even though they knew who finished in what order, they didn't know if any extra points were given.

"The scores," Dumbledore said, his voice loud and booming, "for the Water Relay challenge are as follows. Brains and Beauty finishes first with a score of fifteen points, receiving the full ten points for finishing first and earning an extra five for impressive magic."

The team that roped the giant squid burst out in excitement, and the rest of the school screamed and cheered in approval.

"The second place team," Dumbledore continued, "is Vincitori with thirteen points. They received nine for finishing second and an extra four points for the illusions used."

Lavender grabbed Ginny, jumping up and down with excitement.

"We did awesome!" she squealed, the cheering of the crowd drowning her out. Lavender, Ginny, and Derek all celebrated together, while Lisa stood awkwardly to the side, and Draco and Blaise looked on in disgust.

Dumbledore read the rest of the teams off; Harry's team placed fourth, Dani's team placed sixth after conjuring up a flock of birds with the _Avis_ charm and trying to fly them across, and Rose's team came in last.

The crowd was exiting the stands as teams relaxed and calmed down.

"Good job team," Lisa said excitedly. "If we keep this up, then we have a good chance of winning!"

Everyone nodded and smiled except Draco.

"Actually," he said, "we'd have a good chance of winning if we had placed first."

As he said this he glared at Ginny in accusation.

"Wait," she began, "you're not blaming this on me, are you?"

"Well, you were the one on the boat when it just disappeared!"

She looked at him incredulously.

"That's just ridiculous!" Ginny argued.

"Yeah, dude," Blaise interrupted. "It wasn't even her fault."

Lisa looked away in embarrassment, but luckily, no one turned and blamed it on her. She knew it was her fault, and she felt bad enough already.

"She fixed the situation quickly," Blaise continued, "even when she almost drowned!"

Ginny looked at Blaise thankfully; she never knew he was this kind. She had always thought that he was just another snobby Slytherin.

"Yeah!" Ginny continued. "Why are you even blaming me?"

Draco opened his mouth to retort, but Dumbledore walked up to their group and stopped him.

"Enough," he said sternly. He looked at Ginny and Draco, and Ginny felt ashamed by the look her headmaster was giving her.

"I am _extremely_ disappointed in the two of you," Dumbledore continued. Ginny shrank back, dropping her eyes to the floor. "This entire competition is solely about inter-house relationships, and on the very first challenge, you two find the need to bicker and argue even though you placed second."

He paused for a moment, and Ginny saw Draco was just as uncomfortable as she was. Their professor sighed dramatically with a pained expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," he began, "but I'm going to have to give you both detention. A message will be sent to the both of you informing you about the specifics of your detention."

Ginny and Draco both groaned. Dumbledore hardly ever gave out detentions!

_Detention?_ Ginny thought, _again?_

"And that's not all," Dumbledore continued gravely. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to dock your team some of the points they've just earned."

Ginny's mouth dropped in shock.

"But professor—" Draco began.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore interrupted him, "but you should've thought about that beforehand. I'm taking five points from your score."

"Professor!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Miss Weasley," the headmaster said evenly. "You should be glad that it's not more."

With that, he walked away, leaving an uncomfortable silence over their group.

"I'm sorry," Lisa squeaked. They all turned to look at her.

"Oh, it's okay," Lavender said trying to comfort her.

"But if it weren't for me then none of this would've happened!" she screamed. Lisa jumped away from Lavender and ran back to the school, sobbing the whole entire way.

"Way to go, jerk," Derek said to Draco.

"Oh, shut up," Draco spat back. The whole team looked accusingly at Draco; he tried to glare back, but oddly, a new sensation of guilt was flooding through his system.

"Thanks a lot," Lavender said evilly. This was a surprise considering Lavender was like the cheerleader of their team, always positive and optimistic. Blaise just shook his head at Draco and followed Lavender back to the school.

Ginny looked at Draco the longest, her eyes betraying her own feelings of anger and sadness. Finally, Derek pulled Ginny away, taking her hand and walking her up to the castle.

Draco watched the rest of his team gradually turn their backs on him. He felt kind of bad, but he refused to acknowledge any sort of guilt. However, he couldn't forget the look on Ginny's face…

* * *

It was Monday night, the night of Ginny and Draco's detention. Ginny set out to meet Argus Filch for her detention, worrying that he might try to hang her from her ankles like they did in the older days. Walking to the entrance of the Great Hall, Ginny saw that Draco was already waiting for her with Filch. 

"'Bout time," Filch growled at her. He started off down the hall, apparently expecting the both of them to follow. Ginny sighed but followed anyway, wondering how long she'd have to be there. With a pang of guilt and sadness she noticed the huge bulletin posted next to the entrance of the Great Hall. It had all the teams for The 10 Challenges listed, and once in second place, Ginny's team now sat uncomfortably in fourth place. Brains and Beauty was still in first, We're Better Than You (another random team) was in second, and the Winning Wizards were in third but were only ahead of Vincitori by one point.

The night was pretty uneventful. Filch dragged them across the school, looking for troublemakers and people out at night. The whole time Draco and Ginny were deathly quiet, following Filch's orders when he told them to be quiet or to run ahead.

Compared to Ginny's only other detention, Filch's wasn't so bad. She didn't have to clean out any disgusting jars or have unknown contents splash all over her. With a pang of sadness, Ginny suddenly thought of her first detention with Draco…oh, how things had changed.

"So this is a complete waste of my time," Draco muttered angrily. They were following a couple feet behind Filch as he peeked in classrooms and talked to his cat, Mrs. Norris.

"And we wouldn't be here if it weren't for you," Ginny retorted. He didn't say anything to that so Ginny just continued. "You know, it's funny; the both times I've been in detention it's been because of you."

"Oh shut up," Draco turned on her. "Stop pretending you're so innocent!"

"I'm _not_ pretending," she replied indignantly. "I _don't_ get detentions, and I _never_ get in trouble!"

"Shh," Filch said. "We'll never catch the little trouble makers if you keep squabbling." He was getting pretty sick of those stupid kids.

Draco and Ginny stopped arguing for a moment but only for a moment. A few minutes later they were practically shouting at each other; they hardly noticed that Filch was leading them back and forth down a certain corridor.

_I need somewhere to stash these kids where they'll be stuck until I retrieve them._

_I need somewhere to stash these kids where they'll be stuck until I retrieve them._

_I need somewhere to stash these kids where they'll be stuck until I retrieve them._

Before either Draco or Ginny could realize it, Filch was grabbing them by their collars and throwing them into an appearing door.

"You two are the biggest pain ever!" he growled at them. "Stay here and I'll get you at the end of the night."

The door closed, and Draco and Ginny found themselves in a very small closet that barely fit the two of them. It was complete darkness with their bodies pressed together in the cramped space. Ginny's breathing became heavy, but she calmed herself down before Draco noticed.

Draco tried the handle of the door, but it didn't open.

"_This_," Ginny began, "is just great."

"Like I want to be here either," Draco added. He tried to move a little farther from Ginny's body, but there was literally no space.

"You're stepping on my foot," Ginny said gruffly.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed Weasley," Draco argued, "there's absolutely no room in here."

Ginny just sighed; she was starting to worry. She was _way_ too close to Draco, too close for comfort.

Minutes went by, and Ginny was having difficulty. When she thought about how pressed together their bodies were, she would have the urge to throw her arms around Draco and kiss him.

Draco would try the door knob every couple of minutes because the closeness of Ginny's body was driving him crazy. Her hips were pressed against his, and her chest was pushed against him. He tried to restrain his hands from wrapping around her tiny waist; they shook from his effort to restrain any impulse that would get him in trouble.

"This is incredibly uncomfortable," Ginny muttered after several awkward minutes.

"Really?" Draco asked sarcastically. "I had no idea."

"Let me see if—" Ginny said gruffly as she started to move around.

"If what?" he asked her. Her movement was only pressing their bodies closer together.

"If I can get more comfortable," she said.

Ginny's hands moved over her head as she tried to move around in a circle to find a more comfortable position…a position farther from Draco's body.

As Ginny moved around, Draco's hands unwilling moved to her waist. He heard her suddenly gasp but didn't take his hands away. She stopped squirming, and now her back was pressed against his body.

"Malfoy?" she stammered. Ginny's mind was screaming 'no,' but her body betrayed her. She moved back into his chest, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Uh huh?" he asked quietly, tightening his grip around her waist.

"We can't," she murmured, feeling his lips press against her neck.

"Sure," he muttered, feeling her pulse quicken as he kissed her ear.

He honestly didn't know what he was doing, but he didn't want to think about it. If he thought about it, then he would stop himself, and why would he want to stop when it felt so right?

Ginny turned her neck around so her lips would meet his. They kissed lightly and sweetly, and Ginny started to move around again, turning so she could face him.

_Ugh_, she thought. _I just need a little more room._

All of sudden the closet expanded a few more feet in each direction.

"What the—" Draco stammered.

Ginny almost smacked herself from her own stupidity. Why hadn't she thought of it sooner? She knew that tapestry they walked passed in the corridor looked familiar.

"This is the Room of Requirement," Ginny muttered. She put her hand to her head as she felt a rush of light-headedness.

_I need somewhere to sit down_, she thought.

A moment later, a squishy, red love seat appeared before them, and Ginny sat down eagerly. She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to comprehend what just happened. Touching her lips unconsciously, Ginny remembered the feel of Draco's lips and groaned in agony. _What had she done?_

Draco sat down on the other side of the loveseat far from Ginny without saying a word.

Awkward silence passed over them for a long time, and Draco fought with his own feelings. Half of him wanted to grab Ginny and kiss her like he would never have another chance to do so, but the other half of him wanted to deny what happened, explaining it to her as merely a cruel joke.

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

Right when they both felt like they couldn't control themselves any longer, they heard a click at the door and saw Filch in the doorway.

"Alright," he growled at them. "We're done now, so you all can get back to bed."

He stalked away, leaving Draco and Ginny to awkwardly deal with what happened. Before Draco could say anything, Ginny was walking in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower, trying to forget about their kiss.

* * *

Draco walked into his Head Boy room only to see Blaise sitting in a chair in his common room. 

"What?" Draco asked exhausted. He was too tired and confused to deal with whatever Zabini wanted to talk about. Blaise only looked at him critically.

"Look," Draco continued, "if this is about today, then I'm sorry. You know me; I just get mad when I don't place first."

Blaise only waved it off with his hand.

"No," he said seriously, "that's not why I'm here."

He didn't say any more so Draco questioned him.

"Alright, then why _are_ you here?"

"What's with you, Draco?" Blaise asked seriously. "This entire year you've been completely different, going through mood swings faster than my mother does when she's PMS-ing."

Draco turned away, not letting Blaise's words affect him.

"It's nothing," Draco muttered.

"Be reasonable, Draco," Blaise argued. "I'm not as thick as Crabbe and Goyle so that kind of crap isn't going to cut it with me." He glared at Draco, waiting for him to reveal what was really bugging him.

"It's complicated," was all Draco muttered.

"Alright," Blaise stepped in. "Let me guess. There's something between you and that Weasley girl, something that's been going on this entire year. Sometimes you're overly happy—happier than I've ever seen you—and sometimes you're utterly depressed, and Draco Malfoy is never depressed."

Draco only sat down in another chair not daring to look at one of his only true friends.

"Okay," Blaise said, continuing. "You guys like each other and then don't like each other, but that's not the real problem. The real problem is that you're a Malfoy and she's a Weasley, so you two don't know what to do." He looked at Draco for any reaction. "Stop me when I get close."

"You hit it right on the head," Draco stated.

Blaise Zabini waited patiently for him to continue.

"It's not as simple as you make it out to be though," Draco said lamely. "There are a lot of complications."

"What complications, Draco?" Blaise questioned him. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't think you should stop caring about her because she's a Weasley."

Draco rolled his eyes, but Blaise continued.

"When you were with her, you were blissfully happy; I've _never_ seen another girl make you as happy as she did, and you've been with a _lot_ of girls."

"It's not only that she's a Weasley," Draco interjected. "Everything about her drives me crazy! Even though I care about her, she can get me _so_ incredibly pissed."

Blaise laughed.

"That's what women do, mate," he assured his friend. This made Draco smile a little…but only a little.

"So what do you propose I do?" Draco asked.

"I think," Blaise began, "that you should go for it. Forget whatever went wrong between the two of you and try to make things work again."

Draco gave a curt nod and started to walk to his room.

"Don't come in my room anymore," Draco stated evenly. "Got it, Zabini?"

Blaise gave him a funny look but only nodded. The other Slytherin walked to the entrance but stopped when Draco called out to him.

"And by the way," Draco said, "thanks."

Blaise smiled.

"No problem," he replied.

Once Draco was safe in his room, he pulled out a wrinkled piece of parchment. You could tell just by looking at it that it had been folded and refolded many times before. Draco opened it slowly, reading over the words Ginny had written what felt like forever ago.

_'I guess, once it was all over with Christian I thought we could be together. I learned how important it was to be with the person you love, and I wasn't about to let my brother, family, or any other person stand in my way of being with you.'_

'_I love you more than anything else in this whole entire world.'_

She wrote those words only a few months ago, and Draco hoped she still meant them because he was about to act against his better judgement. Instead of making Ginny's life a living hell, he would set out to earn back her heart...if she would let him.

* * *

**A/N:** Do you like it? Let me know in a **review**, and keep **reading** please! 


	14. Too Many Boys

Chapter 14: Too Many Boys

* * *

Ginny woke up, sweat dripping from her face with her heart beating crazy fast. Images of the night before flooded through her head, and her heart pained as she remembered Draco's lips on her own. 

Robotically, she got dressed and attended her classes, not aware of anyone or anything.

"Ginny?" A voice called.

"Ginny?"

No answer.

"GINNY?"

Ginny whipped around, looking for whoever called her name. She found Dani sitting down right next to her giving her a worried look.

"Huh?" Ginny asked quickly.

"Well," Dani began, "you've been acting rather odd today."

"Really?" Ginny asked, stuffing some food into her mouth. "I haven't noticed."

"You may not have noticed, but everyone else has."

It was lunch time, and Dani had finally decided to say something to Ginny. She knew that Ginny had gone to detention the other night with Draco, and she was sure that last night had something to do with Ginny's odd mood.

"I'm fine," Ginny assured her. "Really."

She hated when Dani did this to her. Of course she loved her best friend, but Ginny and Dani were _very_ opposite in nature. Dani was a naturally happy person, bubbly and charismatic all of the time, but Ginny had gone through so much in her life that she couldn't be that way.

Dani just couldn't understand why Ginny wasn't always happy like her, and it was hard for Ginny to always fake happiness. Sometimes she was just really sad, and she wished she could talk to Dani about it, but she knew the girl would never understand. Ginny _wasn't_ perfect. Didn't Dani realize that?

"Alright, whatever you say, Gin."

But Ginny wasn't really listening. She had just noticed a certain blonde haired Slytherin entering the Great Hall. She watched him glance over in her direction and make his way determinedly towards her.

"Err," Ginny said hastily, swallowing the last bit of her lunch. "I really have to go, Dani." Ginny grabbed her book bag and started walking in the other direction. "I'll see you later!" she called over her shoulder.

With that, Ginny left through a side door of the Great Hall, and soon after, Dani saw Draco Malfoy walk past her and out the very same door.

_Uh oh,_ she thought. _This can't be good_.

Ginny ran from the Great Hall, afraid to look back and see Draco following her. As she hurried up to her room, she momentarily considered ditching class but stopped herself immediately. She had already missed _way_ too much school, especially because this year was incredibly crucial for her. In fact, she was surprised that she hadn't received a letter from either her teachers or Dumbledore asking her where she was all the time.

Ginny watched the clock in the Gryffindor common room with a sickening feeling; she needed to leave any moment in order to get to her charms class on time. With a deep breath, Ginny slung her book bag over her shoulder and made her way down the intricate staircases of Hogwarts.

She arrived at class just in time, hurrying in only right before Flitwick. She sat at her table with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, ignoring the stare she was getting from Draco. Goodness! Couldn't he just leave her alone?

"How's it going, Gin?" Harry asked her sweetly, staring deep into her beautiful eyes. Ginny gave him a quick smile.

"Fine," was all she said.

They began their healing lesson for the day, diving deep into the specifics about fractured and broken bones. Ginny tried to listen as Flitwick explained that some bones were easier to fix than others, but a pair of steely-grey eyes were staring at her.

She groaned quietly.

Hermione, who was sitting directly to her side, gave her a questioning look.

"Is everything okay, Gin?"

Ginny gave her a fleeting glance and turned away, but for that one moment, Hermione could tell that something _definitely_ wasn't okay. The bushy haired brunette continued to watch Ginny the entire hour, noticing how her eyes darted to the other side of the room where Malfoy was.

A few times, when Hermione looked in the same direction, she saw Draco Malfoy staring directly at Ginny, his eyes unwavering. Class ended abruptly, and Hermione noticed how Ginny packed her things in a dash, noticing how Malfoy was packing his things equally as fast, keeping one eye on Ginny and one eye on what he was doing. Before Ginny could leave, however, Professor Flitwick called her back.

"Miss Weasley?" He called out to her right as she headed out the door.

Ginny cringed, and with a deep sigh, she turned around and went straight to his desk.

"I'll talk to you later, Gin," Hermione said. "Okay?"

Ginny gave her a worried glance but nodded. _What's wrong with me? It's only Malfoy._ But that was the thing: it _was_ Malfoy. Draco Malfoy, the person so many of her dreams circled around, the person she still thought about unconsciously…the person who still held her heart.

She saw Draco pack the rest of his things slowly and walk to the door as if someone had cursed him with a Snail Slow jinx. Luckily, Flitwick waited until he was out of the room to continue.

"As I was saying," Flitwick began, watching Draco's retreating back. "It's been awhile since you last came to update me on your progress."

Ginny felt her stomach drop. She'd already seen Flitwick twice before, and this was the third list she'd gotten to learn. All the extra work was taking a toll on her, yes, but she didn't want to give up the advanced class. However, she hadn't exactly found time to finish this third list he'd given to her.

She looked away uneasily, but her professor wasn't about to let her off the hook _that_ easily.

"I've nearly got it all down," Ginny muttered hesitantly. This was slightly stretching the truth.

"Show me."

She looked up at Flitwick in disdain. _Great, Ginevra,_ Ginny scolded herself. _Now he'll see what a big, fat liar you are_. She didn't have a choice though. Reluctantly, Ginny pulled out the parchment from her book bag. It was hardly creased, a dead giveaway that she hadn't looked at it much.

Her professor waited patiently for her to begin, so Ginny whipped out her wand and went straight through the first ten of thirty spells. Those were the easy ones. After she finished the last spell she knew, Ginny looked down at the other foreign spells and took a deep breath. She struggled through the rest of them a little, normally messing up on the first and second tries but completing them soon enough. She would give a quick glance to Flitwick, but he said nothing.

Finally, Ginny finished, a slight smile tugging at her lips; she knew it could've gone a lot worse. When she looked at her professor, he gave her a small smile.

"You are very talented, Ginny," he said, forgetting pretenses. "However, I would prefer that you didn't rest on your natural abilities to scrape through this class."

Ginny blushed but didn't say anything.

"Next time," Flitwick said, "be ready and know the spells that I give you."

"Sorry," she mumbled, but he only waved it away with his hand.

Flitwick pulled out another list and gave it to her before scuttling out of the room. Ginny sighed but took the list anyway, realizing that this would mean spending the next couple of weeks in the library or the common room, trying to perfect the spells. Next time she saw Flitwick, Ginny decided, she'd know all the spells by heart, performing them without even having to glance down at the list.

* * *

It was late in the common room, but when Ginny walked in, someone was waiting for her. At first, Ginny's heart leapt, but, luckily it was only Hermione. 

"Hey Hermione," Ginny said quietly.

"Hey Gin."

Ginny walked slowly over to where Hermione was sitting and sat down right next to her, laying her head on the girl's shoulder.

"Do you want to talk?" Hermione asked tentatively. She was always unsure when it came to Ginny; sometimes the girl wanted to spill and other times she'd rather keep everything to herself.

With a deep breath, Ginny began to explain everything to Hermione about her situation with Draco, something she'd never be able to do with Dani.

"Do you still like him, Ginny?"

Ginny groaned and closed her eyes, trying to forget.

"I don't know, Hermione," she whispered. "Everything about him drives me crazy…_everything_. When he stares at me, follows me, and even ignores me, it all drives me crazy! I can't figure out what I want. Sometimes I'm happy when he just leaves me alone but other times it hurts more than anything!"

"What should I do?" Ginny asked after a moment of quietness.

"I can't tell you what to do," Hermione replied sadly. "This is _your_ life Ginny. I know that too many times you've done things on behalf of your family and friends or for what you thought other people wanted from you, but you need to do something for _you_."

Hermione's words rang in her ears as Ginny remembered all those days wasted, trying to please her parents and brothers. What had that ever gotten her? Maybe she _should_ do something for herself…but what did she want? Ginny voiced this problem.

"That's the hard part. I have _no_ idea what I want."

Ginny sighed and snuggled deeper into Hermione's embrace.

"Alright," Hermione said, all sophisticated and businesslike. "Let's analyze the situation. You're with Derek now, aren't you?"

"Oh man!" Ginny groaned again. In the last twenty four hours, Derek had been the farthest person from her mind. After a while, Ginny answered honestly.

"I _do_ like him," she mumbled, "but the bad part is that I like Draco ten times more. When I'm with Derek, it's nothing compared to how it was with Draco."

She sighed wistfully, touching her lips and neck, remembering the path that Draco's lips had traced last night in the Room of Requirement. The memory sent tingles down her spine, and she closed her eyes, trying to hold onto the bittersweet memory.

"So you like Derek," Hermione stated, trying to keep up, "but you like Draco more?"

Ginny nodded weakly.

"Then doesn't that mean that you should be with the person you like more?" Hermione questioned slowly, watching and waiting for a reaction.

"That would seem like the logical choice, wouldn't it?" Ginny's voice was lazy and sad, like she thought the same thing plenty of times before.

"But…" Hermione stated, knowing Ginny would have some kind of excuse.

"But," Ginny continued, "everything with Draco is messy and confusing. With Derek, things are plain and simple. With Derek, everything's safe."

Hermione looked down at Ginny sadly, hardly believing what the red head was saying. Derek was the _safe choice_? Come on! Love wasn't supposed to be about safety or simplicity! Love was _supposed_ to be complicated, a swirling mass of emotions and feelings that twirled intricately together. Love was supposed to be a deep and burning passion—certainly nothing boring or mundane!

But Hermione didn't say any of that. This decision was for Ginny and Ginny alone.

"If you feel more comfortable with Derek," Hermione stated after several minutes of thought, "then maybe that's your choice."

Ginny sighed wearily, knowing that Hermione didn't believer her own words, but that's what Ginny would have to do. Even though things with Draco sometimes felt _so_ good, they also felt _so_ bad. Her heart ached and pained uncontrollably, and she hated it! At least with Derek she'd be okay. It wouldn't be excellent, but it'd be okay.

Ginny got up slowly, making her way to her dormitory.

"Remember, Ginny," Hermione called out to her, "that no one can make this decision but you. Think about it a little more. What do you _really _want?"

Hermione couldn't believe herself, but she was actually hoping that Ginny would choose Draco. Hermione wanted to do all she could to help out, deciding that for the next few weeks she'd try to make Harry and Ron see some good in Draco Malfoy. Maybe if things were less "messy" between Ginny and Draco, meaning if their families didn't get in the way, then things might work out.

Hermione fell asleep to feelings of hope and optimism.

* * *

Time flew by. 

Draco tried without success to even talk to Ginny. Suddenly, she became the master of flight, disappearing whenever he got close enough to catch her. It was maddening. Draco told Blaise this late one night.

"I can't stand it!" Draco almost shouted. "I'm trying to tell this girl I like her, and she goes all AWOL on me!"

He collapsed dramatically in one of the chairs in the Head Boy room. Blaise only raised his eyebrows with curiosity; it still marveled him that someone could get Draco this worked up. _Man,_ Blaise thought, _that Weasley must have some hold on his heart_.

"Don't give up, mate," was all Blaise could say. "I mean, you're sure to catch her sooner or later. We _are_ on the same team for The 10 Challenges after all."

Draco only sighed in frustration. The last challenge had been the 4 Course event. Contrary to the many rumors that insisted that the 4 Course challenge was going to be an eating contest to see which team could eat four complete courses the quickest, it was actually like a muggle game show. The teams were challenged on their knowledge of four of the courses taken at Hogwarts: charms, potions, defense against the dark arts, and transfiguration.

Ginny, Lisa, and Draco had racked in the pointes for their team on that challenge, finishing second behind Brains and Beauty again. This time Draco was sure to keep his mouth closed even though he was pissed that they hadn't won. Blaise helped out only a little, but that loser Derek Wydell and Lavender held their team back when they both answered most of their questions wrong. It drove Draco crazy, but Ginny only comforted the pair of them, knowing they felt awful already.

Seeing Ginny comfort them was the only thing that kept Draco from bursting; he _hated_ to lose.

Brains and Beauty, a team made up entirely of Slytherins and Ravenclaws was still sitting in first with a good lead of five points. Their team was tied in second with the Winning Wizards, a fact that bugged Draco more than anything. He hated not beating Potter and his gang; it frustrated him to no end.

"Draco?"

Blaise's voice pulled him back to earth.

"It's just frustrating," Draco pointed out. "I'm _Draco Malfoy_! I don't normally go chasing after girls! _They're_ the ones who are supposed to chase after _me_."

"Well is she worth it?" Blaise asked, knowing this would reassure his friend. Draco Malfoy sighed.

"Yes, yes she is."

* * *

February was nearing its end, and the sixth and seventh years had completed two more challenges over the past months. By then, three teams stood out as the main contenders for the grand prize. 

In first, for the moment, was Vincitori, having beaten Brains and Beauty on the last two challenges. Brains and Beauty was trailing in second but only by a few points, and the Winning Wizards were right behind them in third.

The other teams weren't completely out of the competition, but they felt disheartened when they remembered how the top three teams had dominated them. Being in first, a fact that thrilled Draco, still wasn't enough because of the whole situation with Ginny. After the last challenge when they pulled ahead in first, the entire team had jumped around together, screaming and shouting with pride and happiness. Draco had the urge to go over and hug Ginny, no matter what the consequences would be, but that Derek kid got there first.

As Derek swept Ginny off her feet, Draco saw her eyes sadden slightly, looking up at Draco and trying to hide what she felt. Draco couldn't understand what her eyes were saying, and when he went to confront her, she was off again, disappearing around a corner.

What was he to do? It had been nearly two months, and Draco was having no luck. Sometimes he got so angry that he wanted to give up, but then he'd close his eyes and imagine kissing Ginny, realizing he couldn't let her go. He'd fight for her until the very end.

* * *

Hermione watched as Ginny stayed with Derek, and it killed her to see them together. Looking at Ginny, Hermione could tell that Ginny's heart wasn't in it and that her thoughts were always elsewhere. 

"I really like you," Derek murmured in Ginny's ear. They were sprawled on a common room couch on a lazy Saturday. Normally Ginny tried to avoid being alone with Derek, but it was harder and harder for her to avoid him over the last two months.

He kissed her lightly on the lips, making Ginny shudder, but he didn't notice.

"You're so amazing," Derek continued, kissing her cheek. Ginny just sat there. "You're beautiful, and smart, and funny, and _Merlin_, I can _never _stop thinking about you!"

Ginny's stomach churned; she wanted to throw up. Lately Derek had taken to complimenting everything about her, making her out to be someone she knew she was not. It made her sick. Derek thought the world of her, when she knew she wasn't all that special.

"You're perfect," Derek finally muttered.

This made Ginny sit up abruptly. Derek looked at her quizzically.

"I'm what?" Ginny asked, abashed.

"I said you're perfect, Gin." Derek moved to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear, but Ginny backed off.

"No one's perfect, Derek," Ginny stated with a shaky voice. "And even if someone was it would _certainly_ not be me."

She moved to get up, but Derek held onto her hand.

"What's wrong, honey?" He asked.

Ginny's stomach churned again, almost feeling the vomit rise in her throat. She didn't know why this was bugging her so much, but the idea that Derek thought she was perfect was unnerving; she couldn't handle it.

He looked at her again, confusion evident on his face, but Ginny only took her hand back, continuing to the portrait hole. _I need to get some fresh air_ Ginny thought.

"Ginny!" He called after her, but she wouldn't listen. "What did I do?"

The last question stopped her in her tracks. She felt a pang of guilt as she realized that she'd been lying to him all along. She _didn't_ like Derek like she thought she had. Ginny turned around slowly, retreating back into the empty common room. She sat Derek down and took a deep breath.

"You're wonderful, Derek," Ginny said sadly. "You've been here for me when I've been down, but there's something that's been bugging me lately."

He looked at her sadly, realization finally hitting his face.

"I just can't do this anymore," Ginny told him with certainty. "I'm sorry," she murmured before running away out the portrait hole and through the many corridors that made up Hogwarts.

And with that, everything between Derek and Ginny was over. It came from nowhere, but Ginny felt like it was the right thing to do. Ginny had no idea what this meant about Draco, but she didn't want to think about it, didn't even want to _consider_ it. In her mind, Draco was still _way_ out of the picture. Like she said before, Draco made things confusing and messy—that was the last thing she needed.

Strolling down the corridors, Ginny saw new posters and bulletins placed up every couple feet or so. She plucked one of the deep purple flyers from the wall and read.

**M**ini **M**urder **M**ystery **M**asquerade

(MMMM)

The MMMM is the fifth competition in The 10 Challenges.

**What is it?**

Why a dance, silly!…but with a twist.

**When is it?**

March 6th

-It's a Masquerade

-Other details to be explained later

**(Perk up younger students! You're invited to this one!)**

Ginny let the flyer drop. _Great_, she thought, _another dance_.

She sadly remembered the last dance she'd gone to. It had been one of the best days of her life; take Christian out of the picture and it _was_ the best day of her life. Ginny sighed wistfully; it didn't matter. _No more Draco. No more Draco. No more Draco._ Ginny chanted this over and over in her mind, dreading the day of the masquerade.

* * *

Draco saw the flyers as soon as they were up. His heart leapt. _This could be the chance I've been waiting for!_ It was too good to be true, but that didn't stop Draco from hoping. On March 6th, the night of the masquerade, Ginny would be his again.

* * *

"She just broke up with me," Derek said sadly. He was sitting with a very shocked Dani, explaining the events of the day. 

"She did what?" Dani asked incredulously.

_Oh no, oh no_. This was going _all_ wrong. As protector of her best friend, Dani thought it was her duty to keep Ginny safe and happy, and happy _definitely_ meant to stay away from Draco Malfoy. She would have to do something about this.

* * *

"Why do you look at Ginny like that?" Hermione asked Harry one day. The two of them were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, and Ginny was just entering through the portrait hole. 

"Huh?"

Hermione smiled a little. Sometimes she would notice Harry watching Ginny when he thought no one was looking. It all began after the whole Christian/Malfoy thing, and Hermione was beginning to think that Harry had some feelings for Ginny.

"Why do you look at Ginny like that?" Hermione repeated, watching Harry blush. He was still looking at her, his eyes never leaving the meek red head.

"I just care about her," he said quickly. "Like a brother, you know?"

"Uh huh," Hermione said sarcastically.

She wasn't an idiot; she could tell that Harry was attracted to Ginny, but she wondered if that was a good thing. On one hand, it meant that Harry could be the answer to Ginny's prayers, sweeping her off her feet and allowing her to forget about Malfoy. On the other hand, it could mean trouble. Hermione wasn't sure how deep Ginny's feelings for Draco went, and if Harry stepped in, then it could _seriously _mess things up.

"Hi guys," Ginny said a little breathlessly. She sat down next to Harry, and Hermione noticed Harry smiling sweetly at her.

"Hiya, Gin," he replied with a grin that could melt _any_ girl's heart.

"Could I maybe talk to you a bit later Hermione?" Ginny asked quickly. Hermione raised her eyebrows but agreed. After the common room cleared out, Ginny sat next to Hermione, the words already bubbling from her mouth.

"I broke up with Derek," Ginny blurted out.

"Really?"

Ginny nodded.

"I don't know what came over me, but one second he was telling me how perfect and amazing I was, and the next, I was telling him it couldn't work."

The words flew from Ginny's mouth, but she was far from over.

"I guess it just felt wrong to me. Here he was telling me how much he liked me, and I couldn't tell him that I felt the same way. And when he told me he thought I was perfect…" Ginny shuddered. Silence passed over them, and Ginny couldn't get that last thought out of her head. How could someone think she was perfect? She was _far_ from perfect.

"Was Derek okay?" Hermione asked out of politeness.

"Err…I kind of left before he could say anything," Ginny admitted. "Was that wrong of me? I still want to be friends with him, but I just couldn't take it for a second, you know?"

Hermione nodded.

"He'll be fine," she assured the red head. "I think it'll take him a bit. If what you say is true about him caring a lot about you, then it might take longer than you want, but he'll be fine."

Ginny sighed, hoping things would be okay. She enjoyed being friends with Derek, but she knew she didn't want anything more than that.

"So who will you go to the masquerade with then?" Hermione asked, turning the subject in another direction.

"I don't know." Ginny sighed again. "But I think I'm fine going solo. It's supposed to be a challenge for us, so maybe going alone will be a much better option."

Hermione listened to Ginny but was contemplating a different idea. Should she mention Ginny's breakup to Harry? She _really_ didn't want to mess with Ginny's life, but maybe if she just slipped it into a conversation…

* * *

Three boys stayed up late one weekday night, realizing that the Mini Murder Mystery Masquerade was only a few days away. All three of them were thinking the same thing: they all wanted to take Ginny Weasley to the masquerade. 

Who would ask her first? _That_ was an entire mystery of its own.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm done! Did I leave you hanging? Haha. So I don't know what to make of this chapter…what do you think? 

Thanks for all of you who reviewed and demanded that I get this chapter up as soon as possible. You keep me writing!

And I know someone pointed out how often Ginny misses school, so I tried to cover for it in this chapter a little bit, but I may go back and fix the story a little so Ginny isn't _always_ missing classes.

Hope you like this chapter! **Read and review por favor!**


	15. MMMM

Chapter 15: Mini Murder Mystery Masquerade

**A/N: **There's this giant, nasty moth that's flying around my room, and it's bugging the hell out of me. I _hate_ moths. Ew.

* * *

Ginny spent the last couple days before the masquerade completely oblivious.

She noticed that Derek was talking to her again, a fact that made her immensely happy; it'd be a shame to lose a close friend, but she didn't notice how often Harry stole looks at her or how often Draco followed her after her classes. She just had too much on her mind.

* * *

"Hey, Gin!" Harry said enthusiastically. Ginny smiled at him as she walked toward the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

"You look really nice today," Harry continued.

"Err, thanks, I guess."

All through breakfast, lunch, and dinner Harry talked to no one else but Ginny, telling her she looked pretty or smelled nice or something to that extent. Ginny noticed this new attention _finally_ but didn't know what to do. Hermione noticed too as she watched carefully, wondering if she'd done the right thing.

_Is Harry flirting with me?_ Ginny wondered casually. Once, the thought of _the_ Harry Potter liking her would've meant _everything_ to her, but now, it simply had a lesser effect. She blushed at the thought but nothing more.

One evening Harry invited Ginny out to the grounds with him, Ron, and Hermione. They were just going to have some fun in the last of the snow before it all dried up because of spring.

"So will you go?" He was asking her. Harry smiled that dazzling smile that only The-Boy-Who-Lived could procure, so she couldn't say no. He held out his hand like a gentleman, and she took it hesitantly.

The four of them walked through the corridors briskly and were outside in no time. There was only a thin layer of snow left on the ground, but they were all excited to find that it was _perfect_ packing snow.

Ginny made a snowball and launched it at her brother, giggling uncontrollably. Ron spun around in shock, throwing a snowball right back. Soon, an all out snowball war was going down. It was Harry and Ginny versus Ron and Hermione.

"Ah!" Ginny squealed as Ron hit her _again_. Harry smiled, pulling her safely behind some trees.

"Alright," Harry began, smiling, "on the count of three, we attack."

Ginny smiled, and they both started making as many snowballs as they could carry.

"One," he said.

"Two." Ginny got ready, poising a snowball in her hand.

"Three!" Harry shouted.

They ran out from behind the trees only to find that Ron and Hermione had tried sneaking forward. Harry and Ginny bombarded them with snowballs, laughing hysterically before running away again. Ron and Hermione fell down, laughing and rolling around in the snow.

"That was great!" Harry grinned at her.

"I can barely breathe!" Ginny exclaimed. She hadn't felt this carefree in a long time.

They both collapsed in the soft snow, breathing hard with smiles plastered to their faces. After a few silent minutes, Harry rolled onto his side and looked down at Ginny, noticing how lovely she looked with her hair all wild and fanned out around her head, like an angel.

"Gin?" He asked uncertainly.

"Yes?" She looked up at him and stared into his green eyes.

"Do you want to go to the masquerade with me?" He said the words so quickly that Ginny could've sworn she had imagined them. Only the look of anxiety and hope on Harry's face told her that she had heard correctly.

"Oh," was all she said. Ginny felt a twinge of some sort somewhere deep in her heart. _This isn't right_ her heart told her, but her heart wasn't in control of Ginny anymore. It was her head, her mind that would make _rational_ and _smart_ choices, not choices made on a whim.

Ginny saw Harry's face fall; he looked so sad.

"I don't know," Ginny said quickly, feeling awful for hurting him but not knowing what else to say. She'd have to think up an excuse, and she'd have to do it quickly.

Harry rolled onto his back, sighing dramatically.

"It's okay to say no, Ginny." His words were dead, and Ginny heard the pain in his voice. She took his hand in a comforting way and started speaking.

"I just broke up with Derek," Ginny explained. "It's just so soon, you know? And what would Derek think? We break up and then all of a sudden I'm going to the dance with Harry Potter? That would just be cruel."

Harry digested her words, believing her instantly.

"You're right," he admitted. "I wasn't thinking. These last couple days I've just had an urge to ask you, and I didn't want to wait too long, scared that someone would ask you before me. I didn't even think about Derek."

"It's okay," Ginny said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Can we go as friends?" Harry asked her hopefully. Ginny's stomach churned; she wasn't sure about this.

"Just friends?"

"Yep, just friends." Harry's voice was so hopeful that Ginny just couldn't say no.

"Alright," she agreed. Harry sat up abruptly, grinning down at her.

"Great!"

He pulled her up from the snow, and the four of them set out for the common room so they could dry off. _This isn't right _Ginny's heart screamed at her. _Oh, shut up_, Ginny thought back. _We're only going as friends!_

Upon reaching the common room, Ginny made the excuse that she was tired so she could go up to her room to be alone. Hermione followed instinctively.

"How are you, Ginny?" Hermione asked, sitting down on Ginny's bed. A couple of months ago this phrase would've bugged Ginny like crazy, but it was nice to know that Hermione meant it now.

"I'm," Ginny began wearily. "I'm weird."

Hermione gave her a curious look.

"How so?"

"Well," Ginny started, but then stopped.

"Well?" Hermione prompted.

"Harry asked me to go the masquerade with him." She said the sentence oddly, feeling her heart and head start battling it out again. One wanted Harry, and the other wanted D—.

"What's wrong with that?" Hermione interrupted innocently.

"Nothing." Ginny looked at the brunette in confusion. "Or something. I don't know."

Silence passed as both Ginny and Hermione went deep in thought. Ginny was trying to calm down the all out battle that was raging within her, but it was pointless. She could argue back and forth for hours on what she should decide to do with her life.

"I told him no," Ginny admitted.

"What?"

"Yeah, I know." Ginny smiled sadly. "I'm not exactly sure why either, but I _did_ say that we could go as friends. I reallydon't know why I didn't wholeheartedly agree to go with him. I'm not dating Derek anymore, so it's not like it would be bad, but…" She trailed off.

"But it didn't feel right." Hermione said the words confidently, knowing that the only person Ginny would say 'yes' to would be Draco. Ginny nodded in agreement but didn't say anymore. _Why_ didn't it feel right? She wasn't tied down to anyone, and Harry was an amazing and caring person. She should've leapt at the chance to say 'yes' and let him sweep her off her feet.

_This is so confusing_.

Ginny thought about this…thought about it until a rapping on her window interrupted their thoughts. Hermione got up to let the white, graceful owl in, untying the parchment from around its foot and sending it on its way again. She gave the parchment to Ginny.

Not expecting mail from anyone, Ginny opened it, thinking that it was just from her mum or dad asking how school was going. Ginny was startled to see that it was from Draco.

_Ginny,_

_I can't explain everything that's gone through my head these last couple of months, and even if I could, it wouldn't make any sense. All I know is that I can't stop thinking about you. Everything reminds me about you, and when I close my eyes, it's you I see in my dreams._

_Every single day I regret letting you go._

_You once said those same words to me. Can I assume they still hold true?_

_I would love it if you would accompany me to the masquerade. Please?_

_Draco_

Ginny's heart stopped, or she could've sworn it stopped for the length of time that she didn't breathe. She reread the letter five more times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. No, the words were really there.

Hermione watched with a panicked face as Ginny casually tossed her the letter; every word Hermione read sent a wave a pain to her heart. Draco still cared about Ginny!

"What are you going to do, Ginny?" Hermione asked after a period of time. Ginny sat there quietly, not feeling anything. She couldn't think, could _barely_ breathe, and she didn't know what to do.

"You can always tell Harry that the whole 'friends' idea wasn't going to work," Hermione tried, but Ginny made no response. "What are you going to do, Ginny?" Hermione repeated the question.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Hermione was shocked.

"Nothing."

Ginny crinkled up the letter, throwing it mercilessly across the room and flopped down on her bed, pulling the curtains around her. Hermione took this as sign that Ginny wanted to be left alone, so after smoothing out the piece of parchment and setting it on Ginny's nightstand, she walked out of the room silently.

The next day, the day before the masquerade, brought Ginny even more trouble.

"Hey Ginny!"

Ginny turned to see Derek sprinting down the corridor to catch her, so she waited patiently as he took a second to catch his breath. They walked quietly for a while until Derek couldn't control himself any longer.

"Will you go to the masquerade with me?"

Ginny stopped immediately, turning to face Derek, confusion plastered across her face.

"I'm sorry, Derek," Ginny said, shaking her head. "I can't. It would just be too weird."

She kept walking, hoping he would take the hint and go away, but Derek was more determined than she realized. A pep talk from Dani had given Derek hope that Ginny would come running back to him.

"Please, Gin," he begged. "It wouldn't be weird or awkward or whatever you're afraid of."

The old Ginny would've just mumbled a small apology and continued on her way, but the new Ginny was pretty irritated. She broke up with him because she didn't like him anymore. How does that say: ask me to the dance because I really want to go with you?

"Look Derek," Ginny said harshly. She was going to have to set this kid straight. "Going to the masquerade with you would be both weird _and_ awkward, and I don't want to. I don't like you anymore. I'm sorry, but it's true. I would still love to be friends, but you need to understand that we're _just_ friends, nothing more, not friends with benefits or dating on and off, _just_ friends."

Derek's face fell. This wasn't how Dani said it would happen.

"I'm sorry," Ginny repeated, a little more delicately this time. She walked away quickly, hoping that this time Derek would understand. Taking a deep breath, Ginny tried to ignore the pounding in her head. The attention from all these boys was driving her crazy—something any normal girl would love, but Ginny just thought it was a pain. She didn't know who she liked, and until she could understand her own desire, she was going to swear off boys for good.

* * *

Ginny walked toward the Great Hall with a mixture of anxiety and worry. She was anxious to compete in the challenge, getting the butterflies-in-the-stomach sensation, but she was worried about seeing Draco and Derek.

Harry had walked her down there, acting the perfect gentleman, and Ginny wondered if she would have to explain to him _too_ that she only wanted to be friends.

The Great Hall was decorated in dark colors, an eerie sensation exuding from every corner. It gave Ginny chills, and she smiled to herself, looking forward to this mystery. She loved to solve a good mystery.

The sixth and seventh years were waiting outside the Great Hall while all the younger students were inside, already dancing and having a good time.

"This is a murder mystery that you will need to solve." Dumbledore's voice boomed over the music and laughter from inside the Great Hall. Everyone listened intently.

"Each team will have a piece of parchment with clues and facts about the mystery you're supposed to solve. Someone has been "murdered," and it is your job to find out who did it. You will find clues around the Great Hall that will lead you to the murderer. Some of the younger students are in on this competition as well, so you may use them to your advantage by asking them if they saw anything or if they know what happened, but I'd be careful. They're also eager to stretch the truth a bit, but other than that, they're merely there to have a good time. Be careful who to trust and don't be quick to accuse. When you find the true killer and accuse him or her of their crime, you should receive a checkmark on your piece of parchment."

He looked at the students with a glint in his eye. This was probably his favorite of all of the challenges. Solving this mystery would demand wit, cleverness, and patience.

"You have the entire night," he continued, "to solve this mystery. You may enjoy yourself by partaking in the merriment, but I advise you to use your time wisely. You may begin."

There was a rush to get into the Great Hall, but Ginny and Lavender held back, waiting it out and also searching for their teammates.

Draco barely listened to a word that Dumbledore said; he couldn't take his eyes off Ginny. She looked absolutely stunning in a deep, wine purple colored dress with a matching mask that came across her face elegantly. Her brown eyes shown through the holes in the mask, and her lips were tempting as always. The strapless dress clung to her body perfectly, and Draco was finding it difficult to breathe. Even though she was wearing a mask like everyone else, he could easily spot her in the crowd because of her gorgeous red hair. Half of her curly hair was pulled up into an elegant bun and the other half was left to cascade down her back.

The girl next to him waved him over, so he regained his composure and made his way over to Ginny and who he could only assume was Lavender.

"Looking dashing as always, Draco," Lavender said flirtatiously.

"You ladies are looking beautiful as well." He reached out and kissed Lavender's hand, making her giggle like a silly little girl. Draco reached for Ginny's hand, but she pulled it away, walking into the Great Hall.

"Come on," she said. "We'd better get started."

Draco merely shrugged and followed after her. He wasn't bugged that she hadn't written him back, and he had mentally prepared himself for whatever she had in store for him. Winning Ginny back would require him to take it a step at a time, and he was prepared for the struggle. They had barely set foot in the Great Hall when Lisa bombarded them.

"Where have you been?" She huffed at them, waving a piece of parchment in their faces. "I've already checked out the crime scene and have discovered some important clues."

Ginny looked over Lisa's shoulder to see a roped off corner of the Great Hall that she could only imagine was this so called "crime scene." She was eager to go check it out, but Lisa stopped her when she tried to walk that way.

"Nope, here's the plan," Lisa stated firmly. "We split up to cover the room quicker and meet up here in an hour to compare clues. Lavender, you come with me, and Ginny, you head off with Draco. And if I could find either Blaise or Derek, I would tell them that they were paired up too. Oh well. See you in an hour!"

Lisa disappeared into the crowd, dragging Lavender behind her.

"Hey Gin," Draco said.

_Great,_ Ginny thought. _I'm going to have to spend the entire night with him. Awesome, just awesome._

"Hi Malfoy," she replied evenly.

Draco cringed a little at her coldness, but that wasn't going to stop him.

"You look beautiful," he said, putting his hand on her chin to make her look at him. She didn't say anything, but Draco saw the pain behind her eyes. Oh how he only wished he could make all the pain go away.

She looked away again, making her way to the roped off corner, and Draco followed after her, giving her some space. He watched her bend down to examine the bloody "body," searching this way and that.

"Look!" She exclaimed, pointing to something Draco couldn't see.

"What?" He asked, bending down next to her.

"Just there!" Ginny pointed down at a small hair on the stone floor. It was jet black, an obvious clue.

"You think it's the murderer's?" Draco asked anxiously, and Ginny nodded. A small cough from behind them made the two investigators whip around. Alone at one of the tables set up was a shady looking boy, who was glancing left and right.

Ginny and Draco looked at each other, and the boy coughed again. Ginny rushed over to him, pulling out a chair next to him. Draco followed suit, turning the chair around so he sat on it backwards, interrogation style.

"Tell us what you know," Draco demanded dramatically. The boy raised his eyebrows but kept his mouth shut. After giving Draco a look, Ginny took over the interrogating.

"Did you see what happened here?" She asked, looking the boy straight in the eyes. She noticed a black cord-like rope tied around the boy's neck; it was hardly a fashionable item, but then again, Ginny didn't know what types of fashions the younger students went through. The boy looked suspiciously around him and leaned forward, keeping his voice low.

"Didn't see it happen," he mumbled, "but I got here as he was leaving."

"Who?" Ginny asked, her adrenaline pumping. She was now fully into this mystery, dying to figure it out. The boy shrugged.

"Didn't see his face," he whispered again. "He had this mask on."

"We're all wearing masks, genius." Draco rolled his eyes, but stopped after Ginny gave him a death glare.

"Go on," she urged him.

"As I was saying," he continued, giving Draco a nasty look of his own. "I got here right after it happened, and a tall, suspicious looking guy was rushing off in that direction." He pointed deeper into the Great Hall.

"Thanks a lot," Ginny said, giving him a quick smile.

"Yeah, yeah," the boy replied. "But you didn't hear it from me."

With that, the boy took off, disappearing into the crowd of students.

"That was pretty intense," Draco commented, but Ginny wasn't listening.

"Should we believe him?" She asked Draco, momentarily forgetting that she was trying to ignore him.

"What do you mean?"

"Dumbledore said some of the students would help out and give clues, but he also warned that others would try to confuse us." Ginny was thinking it over when a tiny girl walked past them; she had the same cord-like necklace around her neck.

"Let's just keep this information in our mind," Draco said, bringing Ginny back from her thoughts. "In the mean time, I think we should go in the direction he advised."

Ginny nodded, and they walked deeper into Great Hall, staying close to the wall and looking everywhere for clues. They found a few more stray hairs, concluding that the murderer _definitely_ had black hair.

A group of girls were gathered around a table, talking animatedly. Ginny heard bits and pieces of their conversation.

"I saw the whole thing!" One blond girl was saying.

"No you didn't," her friend objected. "You were with me the whole time."

"You guys might've missed it," another girl said, "but I saw it happen."

Ginny stopped Draco, motioning for him to be quiet. She listened intently.

"What happened, Susie?"

"Yeah, Susie, how'd it all go down?"

"He came out of nowhere and killed the other guy," she whispered. "His mask covered his face, so all I could see was his sickly pale skin."

All the girls shuddered and started mumbling. It even sent a shiver down Ginny's spine; she knew it wasn't real, but these kids were really playing up this "murder" quite well. Before Draco pulled her away, the Susie girl flipped her hair, allowing Ginny to barely see a black necklace tied around her neck.

"Look," Draco said, pointing to the ground. Ginny saw a small puddle of "blood" and automatically started feeling queasy.

"I need to sit down," she muttered. "This is all too real. It's actually starting to freak me out."

Draco smiled at Ginny. This was the first time she'd actually talked to him without running away or disappearing. He watched her fan herself off, even lifting her hair off her back to try and cool down.

"You good?" He asked after several minutes. Ginny grimaced but nodded. They stood up, but Ginny started wobbling, nearly falling flat on the floor. Draco stopped her from falling, telling her she should sit down again.

"No," Ginny argued. "We need to solve this thing."

"Slow down there, Nancy Drew," Draco said with a smile on his face. "We've done enough sleuthing for the moment. How about a little dance break?"

Ginny looked up at him nervously. _Dance with him_ her heart said. _Just tell him to get lost_ her head argued back. Oh, this was all too much.

"Come on." He grinned, and all of a sudden, Ginny's head was clear. Her wooziness was gone, and the battle of head versus heart was on hold. Could that be a sign? Could it mean something?

"A little dance won't hurt," Draco said with a pout, but Ginny was still unsure. "Stop thinking about it and just dance with me."

So without an answer, Draco took Ginny's hand in his and pulled her to the dance floor where a nice slow song began to play. He wrapped his hands around her waist, and Ginny hesitantly brought her hands up around his neck.

"So how's it been going for you, Ginny?" Draco asked casually as their hips moved slowly to the beat.

"Err," she stammered. This was weird. "I've been fine."

"That's good," Draco said with a nod. He didn't know why he was asking these things, but he was just glad that she was talking to him again! And it felt so right to have her arms wrapped around his neck. He wanted to pull her closer and kiss her until someone had to pry the two of them apart. But he didn't.

"So where'd you get the dress?" He continued, trying to make her relax. "You once told me you owned _nothing_." He smirked at the memory, remembering his suggestion that they would both go to the dance nude.

Ginny couldn't help but smile, thinking about the same thing that Draco was.

"It's only an illusion," Ginny explained. "I _still_ own nothing, so I just decided that an illusion would be better and easier."

Draco raised his eyebrows.

"So what are you _really_ wearing then?"

Now it was Ginny's turn to smirk.

"What if I told you I was wearing nothing?" _Why am I flirting with him?_ The idea bugged her, but she didn't stop.

"Well," Draco began, "I'd pray that you slipped up and only performed a weak illusion."

"Fat chance," she informed him.

"Rats!" he answered, grinning uncontrollably.

Ginny smiled and looked away. She forgot how easy it was to be herself around him. She didn't have to fake happiness or hide confusion and sadness; she could just be Ginny, nothing more. Draco watched her, feeling his heart ache. He wanted to be with her so badly, but he feared that if he pushed her too far too soon, then things would be over for good. He would give her space for a moment, but only a moment.

Draco noticed the pearl necklace Ginny was wearing. It was the necklace he gave her for Christmas! His heart sped up as his mind began to jump to conclusions. What did that mean? Was it a sign? _Does she still care about me?_

The song ended, and they pulled apart awkwardly.

"We should keep going," Ginny mumbled, feeling empty as Draco pulled his hands away.

"Right."

They took off, searching for more clues and evidence but not having as much luck as they originally did.

"Hey hot stuff!" Ginny turned around to see a second or third year boy, standing in front of her and looking her up and down.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, doll."

Ginny was just about to slap some sense into the kid, when he held up his hands in defense.

"Wait a second, wait a second!" Ginny stopped, her hand still poised to strike. "I just wanted to dance with you," he explained. Ginny rolled her eyes and started walking away.

"I'll tell you about the murder if you dance with me!" He called out after her. Ginny and Draco gave each other skeptical looks but listened to the proposition anyway.

"What do you know?" Ginny asked him suspiciously, noticing that this kid wasn't wearing the black necklace.

"No way." He shook his head. "You dance with me first _then_ I tell you what I know."

Ginny whipped out her wand, performing a nonverbal spell on the kid before asking him again.

"Are you telling the truth?" Ginny asked, waiting to see if the spell was activated.

"Nothing but the truth, cupcake!"

At that point, the kid's sandy brown hair turned bright purple, and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Right," she said. "Nothing but the truth."

She walked away, dragging Draco along with her and hearing the kid freak out as he realized his hair was purple.

"What did you do to him?" Draco asked in astonishment.

"Oh, nothing," Ginny replied, but she smiled at Draco's shocked appearance. He looked so cute when he was surprised…_no! Don't think that! _"It was a charm that detects when someone's lying. It's so much easier then brewing Veritaserum, and it's almost as reliable."

"Impressive," Draco muttered. Ginny grinned but pulled him aside anyway.

"Here's the _really_ impressive thing," she explained to him. "Notice how there are a few kids wearing black rope-like necklaces?"

Ginny pointed out a passing kid who had the necklace even though his friend's neck was bare.

"So?" Draco asked. It was a lame fashion statement, so what?

Ginny explained that she thought that the students wearing the black necklaces were the ones that knew the truth. All the other kids, like the twerp that tried to dance with her, were just lying to throw them off.

"Really?" Draco wasn't to sure about this theory.

"Well, there's only one way to find out!" Ginny hurried off in search of students wearing the black necklaces. After questioning them, Draco and Ginny had gathered enough of the same evidence to realize that Ginny's theory was true.

They ran into Lisa and Lavender and told them about their big break through. Lisa's eyes got wide as she heard the news.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Lisa asked, questioning anything that she hadn't discovered herself. Ginny nodded.

"Yes," she explained. "All the students with those necklaces know the truth, and if we can just find the one or two of them that know who the murderer is, then we're set."

Someone laughed from behind them. The group turned around to see another group of masked figures sneering at them.

"Wow," one voice said. "You guys are _so_ slow. We figured that out an _hour_ ago." She laughed annoyingly. "We're already done. We just caught the murderer, and now we're free to enjoy the rest of the night."

Ginny knew that it was team Brains and Beauty that she was talking to. Only they would be that smug and annoying.

"You're lying," Lavender said.

"I'm afraid not," the girl continued, showing them her parchment. Sure enough, there was a giant checkmark at the bottom that confirmed what they said was true. The group just laughed and made their way to the dance floor, pushing younger students out of the way.

One little girl went sprawling to the floor, and Ginny rushed to help her up.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked the girl sweetly, barely noticing that the tiny brunette wore the black necklace. The little girl, who must've been only a first or second year, nodded her head, beckoning Ginny to lean forward.

"I know who did it," she whispered.

"You do?"

The girl nodded and whispered the name in Ginny's ear. After divulging the secret, the little girl scurried off, disappearing in a crowd of masks.

"Come on," Ginny beckoned, making her way to one of the side doors. She spotted the murderer, and she was going to accuse him.

"Hey Ginny!" Harry's voice interrupted her thoughts. "How's it going?"

"Not now, Harry," Ginny said, trying to make her way to the murderer, but when she looked again, he was gone. "Great."

"Do you want to dance?" Before Ginny could answer, Harry was guiding Ginny to the dance floor. She tried to get away, but Harry made a sad face so she reluctantly gave him one dance. They were in the middle of the crowd, swimming in a sea of masks, a situation that made Ginny dizzy again. As soon as the dance was over, Ginny rushed off to her group.

Draco was glaring at her.

"Have a nice dance?" He asked through gritted teeth. Ginny looked at him incredulously, not in the mood for his childish antics. If he wanted to pout and be jealous just because she danced with Harry, then he could mope around all he wanted. She didn't care.

"Yes," she answered coolly.

"You're crazy Ginny Weasley," he stated, trying to keep his cool. He had tolerated her behavior for a long time now, but this was too much. Ginny dancing with _Potter_ was just as bad as Ginny dancing with Christian.

"And you're just jealous, Draco Malfoy," she retorted. They glared at each other, oblivious to Lisa and Lavender who were watching with interest. "Let's just finish this," Ginny mumbled.

"Fine."

Draco turned around to some random kid and accused him.

"You did it! You killed him, didn't you?" The kid shook his head nervously and ran off.

"What are you doing?" Lisa cried.

"I'm ending this," Draco seethed, grabbing more students and accusing them.

"Stop it!" Ginny ordered. "Stop acting so childish."

"_I'm_ childish?" Draco asked unbelievably.

"Yes, yes you are." Ginny glared at him. "You're mad at me, and you're punishing our team. Look!"

She grabbed the piece of parchment from Lisa's hands and shoved it in his face. Every accusation caused the document to write a minus five in bright red along the bottom. She gave him a I-told-you-so look, and this only pushed Draco even farther. Luckily, Blaise showed up from no where, slightly sweaty but grinning all the same.

"Wow, Draco, my man," he was saying. "It looks like you need to calm down."

"And where have you been?" Lisa asked Blaise shrilly.

"Just enjoying the night," he said smoothly.

"You've left us to do all the work!"

"And I'm sure you're doing a fabulous job," Blaise answered casually. "You need to relax Lisa, seriously. You want to dance? Maybe that will calm you down."

Lisa looked shocked; her mouth kept opening and closing, but she never said anything. Blaise only shrugged, turning to Ginny instead.

"How about you, Miss Ginny," he said, acting all suave. "Would you like to dance?"

Ginny was about to answer yes, just to piss Draco off, when she noticed Draco glare at Blaise.

"Never mind," Blaise said quickly. "Lavender, dear, would _you_ like to dance?"

"Absolutely."

The two walked to the dance floor, leaving Ginny and Draco to argue and Lisa to stand there with a shocked expression still on her face.

"What if I wanted to dance with him," Ginny said, turning on Draco.

"Well, that's just too bad."

"Why, Draco?" Ginny began, egging him on. "Huh? Jealousy got the better of you? Seriously, why? Are you afraid that I'll go and run off with Blaise, maybe spend the night with him or something? Maybe we'd crash at my place or maybe his. Actually, I've never been to the Slytherin common room, so I think I'll ask if we could head down the dungeons this time."

Ginny knew she was being a wench, but she was on a roll. She couldn't stop, and the look of frustration and anger on Draco's face only made her continue.

"Oh, what's wrong, Drakey?" Ginny asked in a baby voice. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"Of course I'm jealous!" he shouted rounding on Ginny. This, at last, silenced her.

He was breathing heavy and looking determinedly away from her face.

"What?"

"I'm jealous, okay?" Draco's voice was deathly quiet. "How can I not be? I hate seeing you with any other guy that isn't me, and the mere thought of you shagging Potter or Zabini drives me absolutely _crazy_. I don't even know why because you obviously don't care about me."

Before Ginny could say something he stalked off, leaving her alone and feeling awful.

_What did I just do?_

Ginny groaned in frustration, but she didn't have time to think. She just noticed a masked figure in the corner of the room; she couldn't see his face, but she knew that pale skin and greasy, black hair anywhere. Forgetting Draco for the moment, she walked in his direction, leaving a _still_ shocked Lisa behind.

"You did it," Ginny said unenthusiastically. "You're the murderer."

"You got me," he drawled, pulling off his mask. Severus Snape stood looking at Ginny.

"Now what?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," he said lazily. "Don't you have a date or friends that you can go and have a good time with?"

Ginny turned around and walked away, feeling numb. Her head hurt again, and her breathing was shallow. Suddenly, dizziness swept over Ginny, making her lightheaded. She tried sitting down, but she couldn't stop stumbling; the room just wouldn't stop spinning. Blackness was closing in, and she could barely see anything. Ginny would've hit the floor as she fainted if someone hadn't caught her.

* * *

**A/N: **So I had to change this whole beginning to have less Harry in it or else I'm pretty sure you guys would've killed me, haha. But here it is! I _totally_ didn't plan for the chapter to end this way. What do you think? Too dramatic? **Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Rebecca:** I have those nights when I read until very early in the morning too. Guess what time it is for me now? Four freaking thirty! Haha. I'm glad you like my story thus far, and I'm open to critiques if you read this in daylight hours.

**Ti-Ti:** Thanks for all your reviews! It's people like you who make me write late into the night (or early, _early_ morning) so I can finish chapters. Thanks very much for all the encouragement!

**Hallie:** Yeah, I'm glad Derek's not a problem anymore, but things between Ginny and Draco aren't going to be that smooth yet! It _is_ my story, so I'm gonna keep you waiting! Haha, sorry!


	16. Trouble Triumphs

Chapter 16: Trouble Triumphs

* * *

Ginny opened her eyes slowly, trying to remember what happened. She recalled being at the dance and trying to solve the mystery, but the specifics of everything were kind of blurry. Touching her head, Ginny remembered feeling dizzy and wobbling all over the place, but…_oh, oh no_. Ginny groaned as she remembered the blackness closing in and fainting.

_Who caught me?_ She wondered. Ginny definitely remembered falling into someone's arms, but she couldn't figure out whom. She quickly forgot about that question as fear hit her when she realized that she had no idea where she was or how she got there.

The room was dark, but things slowly came into view as Ginny's eyes got used to the blackness. Eying the many white beds and curtains, Ginny could tell that she was in the hospital wing, and sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed, was none other than Draco Malfoy.

His head was lying on the bed next to her feet, his hair tousled gently across his face. Leaning forward, Ginny tenderly moved the stray pieces of hair from his face and touched his cheek ever so softly. Draco moved, and Ginny jumped back, quickly resuming a normal position.

"Hello," he mumbled, yawning loudly and stretching his arms way above his head.

"Hi."

Ginny watched him in confusion. How long had he been there? More importantly, why was he still waiting for her?

"Are you here for me?" she asked tentatively.

"Nah, I'm here for that other kid who passed out," he said easily, making Ginny grin. He was waiting for her even though she'd been so awful to him? He was waiting for her even after all the horrible things she'd said?

"Does that mean you forgive me?" Ginny asked with a pout.

Draco contemplated this. Even after they argued, Draco watched Ginny until she was stumbling around like a drunk. At that point, he rushed to her side, catching her just as she was about to hit the floor. It bothered him that even though Ginny hurt him, he still felt the need to rush back and save her.

Would it always be like that? Would he always run back to Ginny when she needed him, even if she had hurt him?

"For the moment?" Draco asked. "Yes, of course you're forgiven."

Ginny grinned, lying her head back down.

"So what exactly happened to me?" Ginny asked him. She wasn't sick or anything, and she'd never passed out before.

"Madam Pomfrey said you had a panic attack," Draco explained. "Too much stress or anxiety or something. She said you must've freaked out a little, go too overwhelmed."

Ginny listened intently while she remembered what may have triggered the panic attack. The fight with Draco was what definitely pushed her over the edge, freaking her out and making her woozy.

"I'm sorry."

Draco looked up at her, but Ginny was looking determinedly in the other direction.

"I wasn't that nice to you," she explained.

"Uh huh," Draco stated. "That may be a bit of an understatement.

"Oh, alright," Ginny gave in with a sigh. "I was awful. I get it, but I'm still sorry."

Draco noticed that Ginny really did look distraught, a fact that made his anger ebb away even quicker. He couldn't stay mad at her, and he knew it.

"You weren't _that_ awful," he reassured her. "People always yell at me at the top of their lungs on a regular basis. It's no big deal." His easy going demeanor made Ginny laugh. _Why did I ever avoid him?_ She questioned herself, thinking about how nice and sweet he had been to her all this time. She certainly wouldn't have forgiven him if he'd yelled at her like that.

"You should get some sleep," Ginny told him, noticing the bags under his eyes. "You look awful."

"Gee, thanks." Draco gave her a small smile, but she could still see the tiredness in his eyes. He didn't complain as he tried to make himself comfortable in the tiny chair.

"You can go back to your room, you know." Ginny was still watching him try to get comfortable.

"And leave you all by your lonesome?" He asked innocently. "Besides, it's too far of a walk, and I'm feeling lazy."

Ginny rolled her eyes but was delighted that he was going to stay. On a whim, she patted a spot on the bed next to her, indicating that he join her. Draco saw this gesture and raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"Are you sure?"

Ginny nodded even though she wasn't sure; it just felt right, and when so many other things in her life felt wrong, she wanted to embrace what felt true. Ginny slid over, making room for Draco to climb on her bed as well. He laid down gently, facing Ginny but not touching her.

"Are you feeling any better?" Draco whispered, staring into her eyes, wishing he could stare into them forever. She rolled the other way, snuggling backward into his embrace with a deep sigh and then answered.

"There," she said. "I'm better now."

He put his hand on her waist then moved it so he could pull Ginny's body closer to his.

"Perfect," she whispered.

Ginny fell asleep instantly, feeling like she belonged in Draco's arms; if she had the choice, she'd never move again. However, that wasn't reality, and the blinding sun, signaling a new day, brought Ginny back down to earth.

She remembered immediately what happened in the middle of the night and shrugged away from Draco automatically. _What was I thinking?_ She couldn't just give in because of one nice gesture! Ginny needed to remember all the pain being with Draco caused. After all, he _was_ the reason why she had the panic attack.

Draco mumbled slightly, trying to grasp Ginny's leaving presence but didn't wake. Ginny slipped on her shoes quietly and tip-toed out of the hospital wing and back to Gryffindor Tower. The sun was just rising so everyone was still asleep. Almost everyone that is.

"Are you okay Ginny?"

Ginny jumped at the sound of the voice but was relieved to see that it was only Hermione; if it had been Harry or Derek she probably would've screamed, not being in the mood to deal with either of them.

"I'm fine," Ginny said briefly.

"We were all _really_ worried about you, especially Harry."

Ginny huffed with impatience. She knew Hermione was only trying to be considerate, but she wasn't in the mood to talk, especially if it had to do with Harry.

"I'm really tired, Hermione," she explained. "I just really want to go to sleep."

Ginny, in fact, wasn't the least bit tired, but she didn't want to be around anyone; it was time for her to sort out her feelings and decide what she wanted for her life. Ginny was completely sick of pleasing everyone and doing what others wanted even if she was hesitant. She hated walking through life without a clue, realizing that life's too short to simply lie back and watch it go by.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione's voice disrupted Ginny's thoughts. For some odd reason, Hermione was able to see past the surface of Ginny's life and understand the struggle she was going through. Sadly, Ginny knew this wasn't something anyone else could help her with; she needed to do this alone.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, but you know as well as I do that it's time for _me_ to do something."

With that, Ginny turned herself around out through the portrait hole and began to wander the school, not thinking where she was going but allowing the moving staircases and twisting corridors to guide her way. The battle of head versus heart was in full throttle, and Ginny wondered whether there would ever be a winner.

Before she realized it, her feet stopped her in front of a familiar portrait of a beautiful, white centaur. Ginny recognized the moving picture immediately, thinking back to the night Draco brought her to the Head Boy room and how they fell asleep together.

"Porridge Swerp," she said automatically and the picture flew open, allowing Ginny to step delicately into the room. Almost nothing had changed, and she felt as if it was only yesterday that she had been there. Was this a sign? A clue that this was where she was supposed to be?

Ginny had figured out the mystery at the masquerade, but now she needed to figure out the mystery of her own life. She wandered around the empty common room; Hermione was up at Gryffindor Tower, and Ginny bet that Draco was still asleep in the hospital wing.

"Yo, Draco." A voice came from the portrait hole. "I know you told me never to come in here again, but I've just been wondering—"

Blaise stopped mid-sentence, looking at Ginny with curiosity and marveling on why she was there. Had she spent the night with Draco? Did the two of them _finally_ get together or was that only wishful thinking?

"Why hello, Ginny," he said quickly, still confused and curious.

"Hi, Blaise," Ginny replied as the boy made his way in her direction. He sat down on one of the couches, motioning for her to do the same.

"So how are you?" he asked quickly, eager to get to the point but not wanting to be rude.

"I'm fine." She gave him a curious look but allowed him to continue.

"How are you and Draco?"

Ginny didn't know quite how to answer this but was spared from further questioning by Draco's arrival. He stepped through the portrait hole with ruffled hair, looked at Ginny and Blaise with confusion, and then walked over there anyway.

"Party in my room I guess," he mumbled. Draco sat down next to Ginny, a little too close for her comfort actually, which made her slide over and away from him. Blaise took this into account before questioning his friend.

"Where've you been?" He asked. "You simply disappeared halfway through the masquerade last night."

Ginny blushed, a fact that Blaise also noticed, but Draco didn't reply.

"You two weren't _together_, were you?" He asked this incredulously, not believing that it finally had happened but hoping for it all the same. Personally, he saw nothing against either of them to be together. Although he _loathed_ her brother, Blaise thought that Ginny was okay, no, more than okay. He thought she was amazing, a perfect match for Draco. Too bad she didn't see it.

"Oh no," Ginny said hastily. "We weren't together like _that_. I just had a bit of an episode at the ball, and I guess Draco took me to the hospital wing and didn't leave until just now."

Blaise digested this news.

"But why did you come back here without him?"

"Um," Ginny stammered.

"She woke up and left me there, I presume," Draco explained, giving Ginny only the slightest of looks but not letting it bother him in the least bit. After all, she was the one that suggested they fall asleep together in her cramped hospital bed.

"I see," Blaise said, eyebrows pulled together in a way that clearly said he really didn't understand.

"Sorry 'bout that," said Ginny in an off-hand manner. If Draco wasn't bothered by it, then she wouldn't let it bother her either.

"I guess I'll see you two later," Blaise said, a hint of suggestion in his voice but suggesting what? That was the thought that entered Ginny's mind. _Maybe I should give this another chance, _she thought happily, realizing what a pleasant idea that was. _Why fight something like this?_

Draco obviously cared about her, and Ginny knew she still loved him, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise. But she was going to take this slow. It wasn't going to be like last time; this wasn't going to be some decision she made on a whim.

Blaise left with joyful thoughts, hoping that the two of them could resolve and make up as quickly as possible. Even though Blaise liked the new Draco—the Draco who was determined to win back Ginny's heart—he liked the happy Draco even more.

"Let's do something," Ginny said immediately, wanting more than anything just to be around Draco, spending time with him and only him.

"Alright, what do you want to do?"

Draco asked this in a nonchalant way, trying to hide his own excitement and fearing that Ginny might turn and run as soon as she realized what she had suggested. Ginny looked out the window, taking in the signs of spring, the beautiful way all the plant life was trying to live again. That's what she needed; she needed to try and live again.

"Let's go outside!"

She jumped up and rushed to the door, something that made Draco grin despite his efforts to remain neutral.

"I'm right behind you."

They practically ran outside, Ginny setting the pace and Draco keeping up fairly easily. Ginny sprinted around outside, feeling light and free and loving every bit of it. _This_ was how life was supposed to feel. _This_ was living.

Eventually Ginny stopped running around, deciding to walk next to Draco instead, talking and chatting like friends. But Draco was _dying_ to be more than friends. They wound up finding themselves in Professor Sprout's magical garden again. Most of the flowers hadn't bloomed, but it was still a beautiful sight to see, as always.

Ginny flopped to the ground, dragging Draco down with her.

"Why do I feel so happy around you?" Ginny asked him. This might've been a little forward, but the thought tugged at her mind so much that she couldn't help but finally speak it. Anyways, she was dying to hear his reply.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. People normally didn't ask him that question; normally everyone detested spending time with him.

Ginny reached for his hand boldly, holding it tightly in her own. This made Draco sigh, half out of happiness and half out of frustration that she wouldn't just lean over and kiss him. But he knew what he had to do and that was letting Ginny move at her own speed.

They eventually left the garden and went their separate ways, both feeling incredibly cheerful.

* * *

Blaise was running to catch up to Draco; he was dying to know how it was going with Ginny. It had been a week since the masquerade, and Draco was as happy as he had been earlier in the year.

"I'm fine," Draco answered curtly, getting sick of Blaise's pestering questions. He knew his friend cared, but it was slightly annoying.

"She seems happy too, you know."

This perked Draco's interest.

"Really? Did she say something?"

Blaise shook his head.

"Nope, it's more like there's an extra bounce in her step, a smile in her eyes." He shook his head with a grin. "I don't even know if that made any sense."

But it made perfect sense to Draco; it meant that soon, they could be together, and he wanted nothing more than simply that. Blaise interrupted his pleasant thoughts of a future with Ginny, concerning a party that some seventh years were throwing that night.

"Are you going to go?" Blaise asked. "You could maybe invite Ginny."

Draco smiled. _Perfect_.

* * *

Ginny was stepping into her dormitory, when Dani bombarded her with questions.

"What are you doing with _Malfoy?_" Her voice sounded angry, and one glance at her expression told Ginny that Dani was _beyond_ angry. She was pissed, livid.

"What do you mean?"

Dani thrust Ginny a piece of parchment that was unrolled and scrunched up, indicating that Dani had already read it. It was a letter from Draco inviting her to a party later that night, but Ginny wasn't thinking about the party, she was more concerned with the fact that Dani was being ridiculous.

"You opened my letter?" Ginny asked incredulously. She looked at her so called best friend with new eyes. Dani had always wanted Ginny to be a certain way, but she had gone way too far this time.

"Don't you _dare_ think that, Ginny," she said icily. "Don't patronize me for opening a letter when you've been sneaking around behind my back to be with that _git_."

"Don't call him that!"

Ginny looked at Dani, her own anger matching her friend's.

"So you don't deny it, do you?" Dani asked angrily.

"Deny that I've been spending time with him?" Ginny asked. "No, I don't deny it. What's so wrong with that?"

"You want to know what's wrong with spending time with Draco Malfoy?!" Dani was hysterical. "_Everything_ is wrong about that, Ginny! Don't you remember how much he hurt you? Don't you remember how he ignored you and forgot about you and broke your heart? And you're just going to forget about all that and forgive him?"

Ginny didn't answer these questions. Of course she remembered; how could she forget? At the mention of this past, Ginny's heart ached as she recalled how badly it _did_ hurt, but she wasn't going to allow Dani to brainwash her.

"You know as well as I do that I'll never forget that, Dani," Ginny informed her. "But yes, I have forgiven him, and I'm going to keep spending time with him and seeing him. It was stupid of me to try to forget about him in the first place."

"I'm only saying all of this for _your_ sake, Gin. I don't want to see you hurt again."

The truthfulness of Dani's voice brought tears to Ginny's eyes, but no, she wasn't going to be convinced otherwise.

"Can't you support me?" Ginny asked tearfully. "Can't you hope for me that things turn out for the best this time?"

Dani frowned, sadness and anger controlling her words.

"No," she said, shaking her head and backing away. Dani opened the door and left, leaving Ginny alone and miserable. What did this mean? Ginny just lost a friend because of Draco. Was Draco really worth Dani's friendship?

Ginny didn't know, but she knew seeing Draco would make her feel better instantaneously. She pulled on a quick illusion, choosing a short denim skirt with a loose and flowing top. After fixing her hair up a bit, Ginny grabbed her wand and headed out to meet Draco where the letter instructed.

* * *

Draco had been at the party for an hour, searching hopelessly for Ginny. He asked everyone if they'd seen her, but nobody knew where she was, a fact that frustrated Draco incredibly. _Why isn't she here?_

Something that was even more frustrating was how every single girl at the party had felt the need to go up and introduce themselves to him. At least twenty girls had already tried to entice Draco in some way or another, and he was getting pretty sick of it. He eventually decided on sitting on a couch near the door. This way, he was away from the main part of the part and he could easily spot Ginny if she did show up.

"Hi, Draco," a girl whispered, walking over to him and swinging her hips from side to side in a way that she must have thought was seductive. It only made Draco cringe.

"Hi," he replied curtly, turning away to show that he was _clearly_ not interested. She didn't take the hint. The blonde girl plopped herself next to Draco and began to make conversation, talking rapidly and animatedly, trying to get his attention.

When this failed, she grabbed his shoulders and forced him to turn and look at her.

"That's much better," she said, slipping her arms around his neck and kissing him urgently.

As soon as Draco realized what was happening, he pushed the blonde away from him. She glared but didn't move from where she sat. Draco heard a tiny gasp from behind him, and he turned around quickly to see Ginny standing there, mouth open and eyes wind in shock.

His heat fell. _No, _his mind screamed. _No, it's not what you think!_

She turned away, shaking her head furiously as if she were hoping she was imagining things.

"Ginny wait!" Draco called after her, following her out into the corridor. Ginny was already rounding a corner, sprinting at full speed to get away, away from the nightmare she'd just witnessed. He caught up to her soon, grabbing her arm to make her stop. He held her shoulders to keep her from running and tried to look at her, but she refused, keeping her head bent and eyes downcast. Draco barely saw a tear slip down her pale cheek.

"It's not what you think, Gin," he tried to explain.

"Let go of me," Ginny muttered icily. Her voice was so deadly that Draco almost listened.

"No!" he shouted in disdain. "I want you to understand!"

She looked up at him, tear trails down her cheeks but with a fiery vengeance in her deep and endless brown eyes. She looked at him in such pain and anger that Draco could sense each emotion she was feeling, and it hit him hard in the bottom of his heart.

Ginny whipped out her wand and muttered an incantation, sending an icy hot wave of magic at Draco. He relinquished his hold of her immediately, staggering backward from the blow. When he looked up to search for Ginny, she was already gone.

Ginny ran and ran and ran until she couldn't run anymore. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. Her heart ached, and the tears blinded her eyes as she staggered down endless corridors. She needed to be away from, away form _everyone_. She couldn't stand to see anyone at the moment, knowing each of their reactions to what she's just seen.

_Of course he would do that,_ her brother and Harry would say. _He's a Malfoy_,_ and that's what that type of scum do!_

_Oh, Ginny,_ Hermione would say with a sympathetic embrace.

_I knew this would happen,_ Dani would say. _I told you he would only break your heart._

Ginny found herself on the very edges of the Black Lake, and she sat down, resuming her old spot and old practice of crying until the sun rose. She cried for what she had seen, for the pain that was gripping her heart, and for everything else she couldn't explain.

She felt betrayed, broken.

It's like, somewhere along the line, Ginny had fallen in glass, and there were still shards sticking out _everywhere_, making life painful and unbearable. That, however, didn't stop people from pushing those pieces in further.

And it hurt. It hurt _so_ badly.

But this last blow was by far the worst. There was a single piece of glass emerging from somewhere in the depths of her heart, and Draco had just pushed it in deep, leaving Ginny no hope of recovering.

She sobbed, gasping for breath and only wishing that the pain would go away.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow. How come my chapters never end the way I plan them to? Weird…but what do you think? **Read and review please!!!! **And thanks to everyone who has reviewed and to those who have added me or my story to their favorites. YOU ROCK!

Did anyone see the new Harry Potter movie?! Holy crap it was sooooo good! Comment me or send me a message about it because I could discuss it for HOURS on end! And that kiss?!? Double holy crap. _That_ was intense.


	17. A Change of Events

Chapter 17: A Change of Events

* * *

Ginny refused to even look at Draco during their charms class on Tuesday. He tried to talk to her and pleaded that she let him explain himself, but Ginny showed no reaction. Her actions were done mainly out of pain and sadness rather than anger. Of course she couldn't be angry with Draco, but that didn't mean that it still didn't hurt.

The worst part of the whole situation was when Ginny closed her eyes or started to daydream. She'd see Draco and that blond, kissing on the couch, and she'd hear Dani's voice in her ear, telling Ginny how much of a fool she was.

"Today," Flitwick began, stepping to the front of the classroom, "we're going to do a little one on one exercise."

They had finished their healing unit, which Ginny thought was pathetically simple, so this change was a tiny speck of light in all of the darkness surrounding her.

"I want to see what you've all learned in this class so far," he explained. "Therefore, you will be given the chance to face off with another student in this class, dueling to see which of you can use their skill of nonverbal magic along with their knowledge of spells to beat the other."

The class murmured excitedly; it wasn't very often that they were allowed to fight in a classroom setting.

"This might come in handy in the next couple weeks," he added with a wink, as if to subtly say _hint hint. _"So who's first?" he asked eagerly.

Everyone shuffled their feet awkwardly; they wanted to start but didn't want to be the first example. Even Hermione, a person who loved to show off her own abilities, hesitated to raise her hand. Harry was about to volunteer when Flitwick volunteered someone.

"Mr. Malfoy," he said, "how about you first?"

Draco rolled his eyes but headed up to the front of the classroom. He didn't dare defy his teacher nor was he in the mood to do it. Draco was still uncontrollably distraught over losing Ginny over something so stupid. It's not like he asked the blond bimbo to kiss him; he was just naturally irresistible like that.

"Would anyone like to volunteer to duel against Mr. Malfoy or do I have to choose someone again?" Flitwick looked around expectantly. After a few moments of silence, one person raised their hand.

"I'll volunteer, Professor," Ginny said evenly, staring straight at Draco, face devoid of emotion.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Flitwick mumbled to himself. "Any spells that are potentially dangerous are forbidden in this exercise, but other than that, I want you to use all your knowledge and skill to beat your opponent."

Draco gave Ginny a pleading look. He didn't want to fight her, but it looked like Ginny was dead set on fighting him. _Maybe this will get some of her anger out_, Draco thought hopefully. Maybe if they battled it out and she got some good spells in at him, then she'd calm down and listen to him reasonably. _It's worth a shot, considering how nothing else has worked so far._

"Let's not do this Ginny," Draco mumbled, trying to force Ginny to see reason. They were meant to be together for Merlin's sake! Why couldn't she just settle down for _one_ second, so he could explain things to her.

"Oh, I'm rather looking forward to this," she quipped. "It should be _fun_."

Draco noticed she said the word delicately, like what she really meant was "I want to kick your ass, and here's my perfect chance!" He only sighed, knowing that once Ginny set her mind on something, there was no going back. He'd simply have to endure it.

"Now don't hurt each other too much," Lisa was saying. "We need you both good and healthy for The 10 Challenges."

"Don't worry, Lisa," Ginny said coolly. "I won't hurt him _that_ badly."

She smirked, preparing an order of attacks in her mind, envisioning each spell hit Malfoy straight in the chest, throwing him across the classroom and knocking him out.

"You better give it your all," Ginny snapped at Draco with a glare. He only looked at Ginny, sadness taking over, but he knew well enough not to defy her. If he let her win without fighting back as best as he could, then she would _never _forgive him.

"Please, Gin," he mumbled in one final attempt. "Let's not do this.

She only smirked.

"You may begin!" Flitwick announced. The words had no sooner left his mouth when Ginny attacked, sending an assault of spells in Draco's direction. He barely had time to block the first few, though he couldn't stop all of them, and a particularly nasty jinx knocked him backwards off his feet.

"Enjoy the view from down there?" Ginny asked coldly.

"That's not necessary, Miss Weasley," her professor said rather icily.

Draco was getting up, dusting off his robes and getting pretty ticked off at Ginny.

"Sorry, Professor," Ginny replied lightly. "Only having a bit of fun."

Professor Flitwick knew within the next few minutes that he had made a grave mistake. He watched in horror as both students threw every spell within their knowledge at one another, and he saw the glee in their faces when the other was hit.

Ginny flew backward, having blocked Draco's spell too late. She was letting him get to her, and she knew she was better than this. Jumping up quickly, Ginny cleared her mind and calmed herself down.

Although Draco didn't say anything, she could feel his release of magic, feel it moving directly towards her. She reflected the spell with a flick of her wand, sending it back to its caster only a second later. _Much better_ Ginny thought. The last spell hit Draco hard, and it took him a while to get back up. When he did, he was panting, sweat forming at his temples.

"Give up?" Ginny taunted.

"I think this may be enough," their professor interjected, but it was no use.

"Never," Draco growled in retaliation. He cast spell after spell, but it didn't matter anymore; Ginny had complete control. It was like the magic was all hers, and it refused to attack her. He could barely think an incantation before it was sent right back at him. He couldn't win.

"ENOUGH!"

Draco and Ginny turned to look at their meek professor who looked very livid. He was quite terrifying…if Professor Flitwick could ever be terrifying.

"Now that you're done destroying each other," he said angrily, "you'll be pleased to see me at the end of the day for detention."

"Detention?" Ginny asked appalled.

"Yes, Miss Weasley, detention."

"But I did nothing wrong!" She argued, forgetting her place and ignoring the fact that this was her teacher she was speaking to. "I only did what you asked!"

Flitwick glared at her.

"Would you like me to take off house points as well?" The tone of his voice was threatening, and Ginny didn't dare test his patience. She was angry and edgy, and she wanted to curse Malfoy into oblivion!

The class ended, and Ginny stalked out of the room, ignoring the trio and trying to distance herself from Draco for fear of starting another fight. All of sudden she was _so_ angry, and she didn't know why.

* * *

The sixth competition of The 10 Challenges was announced; it was entitled Duel It Out. While this title was very straightforward, it left the students without much to train for. They either knew the spells or they didn't, and it would be rather foolish to try and cram as many spells into one's mind as possible. After all, dueling was about much more than simply knowing spells.

You had to know the magic, and Ginny knew the magic.

She was actually pretty relieved for this challenge because it allowed her to find an outlet for all her sudden anger and hopelessness. Each student had five matches, and if you won the duel, then you earned a point for your team.

Ginny had won her first three matches easily, pulverizing the competition in mere minutes. Her fourth match would be more difficult.

"Hi Ginny," Harry said tentatively.

"Hey."

She didn't have much to say to him, and she was sure his topic of discussion was of no interest.

"Should we get started then?" He asked, slightly concerned. Ginny gave him a questioning look, completely clueless. "My next match is against you," he explained.

"Great," was all she said. Of course they'd make her fight The-Boy-Who-Lived, that was just her luck, wasn't it? She groaned angrily, thinking about how this match was slightly tipped in his favor. He fought Voldemort for goodness sake!

"Don't worry," he said, backing away to his starting position. "I'll go easy on you." He gave her a small, sympathetic smile, but Ginny just froze. She was shocked. So he thought he already won, did he? Oh, she'd show him.

They squared off, and Ginny smirked to herself. This would be almost as much fun as kicking Draco's ass. She would enjoy this, she decided.

"Ready?" Snape asked. He was the mediating teacher residing over their match.

"Begin."

This time Ginny didn't begin immediately. Instead, she waited for Harry to make the first move. He threw a weak disarming spell, and Ginny easily blocked it, smiling pleasantly but with a hint of evil.

Snape watched on with interest. He was secretly rooting for Ginny to win. Not that he was _that_ fond of her, but he did prefer her over Potter. And more importantly, Snape thought that if anyone stood a chance against Harry in a duel, it was Ginny.

The match heated up a little as Harry threw spells harder and faster than before, each of which, Ginny deflected without a sweat. She could see Harry tiring, could hear his ragged breathing, could sense his unease about the situation.

"Ready?" She asked, a smile tugging at her lips. Oh yes, this would be _very_ fun.

Ginny attacked, moving and twisting as she sent spells his way with a vigor that she didn't know she possessed. Harry barely blocked the onslaught, and in one second, when he looked down, Ginny saw the perfect opening. She threw a stunning spell at him, sending it faster and stronger than she ever had before.

It hit Harry, sent him spiraling backward, and successfully knocked him out.

"Very well done," Snape told her with a smirk. Ginny grinned back.

"Why thank you."

People all ran to see if the amazing Harry Potter was okay, but Ginny could care less. Her last match was against Dani, and she would take pleasure in beating her as well. As she expected, Ginny beat Dani no problem, although Dani _did_ manage to land a rather nasty spell that left Ginny twitching for the rest of the day.

In the end, team Vincitori won by a land slide, most winnings coming from Ginny, Draco, and Blaise. Again, Derek and Lavender were the weaker ones of the team. Lisa chatted with the team like crazy after their victory, but it was no use. The old charisma that they had was lost, and no one was comfortable with one another anymore. Even Lavender had lost her original spunk.

The team was separating, and Ginny was walking away on her own when Blaise followed her.

"Could I talk to you for a moment?" he asked her, and Ginny nodded. She was slightly alarmed to see his grave expression, knowing Blaise to be a happy and carefree sort of person, but she allowed him to speak before she questioned his mood.

They walked into an empty classroom, when Blaise turned to her, fire and anger evident in his dark eyes.

"Why are you doing this to him?"

Ginny looked shocked.

"Doing what?"

"Torturing him!" Blaise explained. "You know as well as I do that Draco didn't really do anything with that girl. She was just some low life who wanted to hook up with, but Draco refused. He doesn't care about anyone but you!"

"That's not how it appeared to me," Ginny shot back icily. Her words were like venom, but inside, she knew that she didn't mean them; she knew that Draco really cared about her and not the dumb blond.

Blaise just looked at her in disgust.

"You know," he continued, "I was really hoping you two would work out. Being completely honest, I thought you'd be _perfect_ for Draco, that you alone would be everything he needs. But if you can't come down off that high horse of yours and just admit that you overreacted, then maybe I was wrong. Maybe he's too good for you."

"He's too good for me?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Yes," Blaise stated, disappointment in his voice and expression. He exited the room without another word, but his words rang in her ears.

Her mind wanted to burst! She couldn't think about this anymore or it would most likely drive her crazy! She walked back to the common room, hoping to get some rest and to clear her head, but as always, Hermione was waiting to speak with her.

"Not now, Hermione." Ginny warned. She wasn't in the mood.

"Yes, I think right now will do just fine, Ginny Weasley." Hermione's voice was commanding, sounding very Molly-like. Ginny turned around and glared at her.

"What?"

"I'll tell you what," Hermione said just as dangerously. "I've been trying to push you in the right direction all this time, but you've always gone the other way! I'm sick of watching you ruin your life and throw away great chances that may never come back again."

"And what might these _chances_ be?"

"I'm talking about you and Draco," the brunette replied. "It's so obvious to everyone who pays attention to either of you that you guys complete one another. You two are halves to the same whole, meant to be together, and I'm _sick_ of you ignoring it!"

"You don't know _anything,_" Ginny muttered coolly.

"I know enough. I know that every single time you two hit a snag or a rough patch you call it quits, giving up on each other entirely. Except this time's different. This time Draco's willing to keep working for it, even though you're being completely ridiculous!"

"You have no idea what happened!" Ginny shouted.

"Oh, stop trying to defend yourself, Ginny," Hermione said unbelievably, rolling her eyes in disgust. "I know everything that happened that night, and I know that you are totally overreacting to a simple problem!"

"How do you know?"

"I live right next door to the kid, don't I?" She was livid at this point. When would Ginny get it? "I heard him talking with Blaise, and so I asked him about it. He told me everything, and it's clear that you're letting your pride get in the way of something special, something that could be amazing."

"I bet he told you _all_ about it."

"He did." Hermione calmed down for a moment, remembering the conversation. "He was really upset, Ginny. One look at him, and I could tell that something was very wrong."

Ginny looked away, angry and uncomfortable. _So what? Who cares about that jerk anyway?_

"Now I've known Draco for a long time now," Hermione explained, "and I know that he never shows his emotions easily. So when something _is_ visible in his expression, you that it's for real, that he's not just messing around. You really hurt him Ginny, but he still wants to be with you. Why would you give that up?"

She walked away, leaving Ginny more tortured than ever before. Why was everyone sticking up for Malfoy? Hadn't everyone always said how awful he was and how vile and cruel he treated other people?

All this was giving Ginny a headache, and what could add more to that pain? Running into her brother, that's what.

"Ginny, can we talk?" Ron asked quietly, wondering all along if he was doing the right thing.

"Not now, Ronald." She was still frazzled from her last conversation. Did everyone think she was being awful?

"Please, Ginny," he begged.

She looked at him, seeing sincerity in his eyes; she gave in to his plea.

"What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Ron repeated, contemplating the question seriously. "I only want you to be happy."

His words hit Ginny's heart hard, taking away her breath and filling her mind with even more questions.

"I know I haven't been the best brother in the world, but I've finally realized something." He looked her in the eyes, hoping that she would listen to him. "It's not for me to decide what you do with your life or who you spend it with. I mean, look at the things I've made you do before! I forced you to be with Christian, and he turned out to be a complete monster…I'll never forgive myself for that." His voice trailed off as he pictured Ginny's bruised and broken face in his mind; it made him sick to his stomach.

"Don't worry about it, Ron," Ginny replied softly. "It's no big deal."

"That's the thing," he continued. "It _is_ a big deal. This is your life, and you should spend your time being happy. If that means being with Mal—Draco, then I'm not going to stop you because seeing you upset and in pain hurts me more than anything else ever could."

She looked up at him sadly, his words cementing themselves to her memory.

"You really mean that?" she asked. This was all too good to be true, but it was all too much as well.

"I really do," he said with a nod.

Ginny turned away, looking off into the distance and trying to keep the tears from spilling out from her eyes.

"I don't know," she said tearfully. "I really don't know."

* * *

The end of the year was quickly approaching along with final exams and the last challenge. After three very difficult events, team Vincitori was in third, right behind Brains and Beauty and the Winning Wizards who were tied in first. The difference in points had originally been much greater, but a steal of second place in the quidditch challenge allowed them to gain some ground. However, they lost to Harry, Ron, and Hermione's team, which meant the Winning Wizards secured first.

The match was intense. Harry and Draco had naturally been the seekers, flying around for hours and battling it out to try and catch the snitch first. Vincitori had a commanding lead for the entire match, staying in the lead by a handful of goals but not enough if the other team had caught the snitch. And that's exactly what happened.

Even though Ginny had scored endless points against Ron, Harry eventually caught the snitch and ended the day-long match 520 points to 510. The loss was a huge blow against team Vincitori, but luckily, the amount of points they scored was so great that they finished second.

Second was no consolation for Draco.

He fumed for the next couple days, as most of the other sixth and seventh years buckled down to their ever-approaching exams. The last challenge was farther from their minds, especially for students who weren't on the top three teams. Hopes of winning the grand prize had vanished, so they turned to more pressing issues: passing NEWTs and end of year exams.

Ginny was studying in the library when Blaise came and sat down at her table. He didn't say a word, didn't even look up from the book he was reading. At long last, he spoke, the words familiar to Ginny.

"You know," he began, eyes still locked on a page in his book, "you really should talk to Draco."

Ginny sighed, preparing to say the same thing she said whenever he, Hermione, or anyone else chose to tell her this.

"It's too late," she said easily, "and it hardly matters to me anymore."

"Why are you lying? I know you don't mean what you say, and you know it too. Why can't you stop pretending?" He looked at her, his dark eyes locking on her light brown ones. Would he ever give up?

"It's not just me," she retorted. "He's done with me too. You can see it in the way he acts towards me."

Blaise snorted.

"Give it a rest, Gin. _Anyone_ can tell just by watching him that he still likes you. Just please, listen to reason and come to terms with the fact that you're both crazy about one another. No one cares and no one's mad, so just talk to him!"

Ginny sighed. He would never give it a rest unless Ginny finally agreed to simply _talk_ to Draco. Maybe he'd have to do a little intervention of his own…he'd have to talk to that Granger girl to see if they could work something out.

* * *

"Thank goodness that's over," Ginny said to Dani as they were leaving the Great Hall. They had just completed their last NEWT, a particularly nasty Transfiguration test.

"I know," Dani agreed. "Let's just not think about it, okay?"

"Agreed."

The two walked out on the grounds and spent the rest of their day relatively peacefully. Somewhere in the midst of anxiety and studying for their NEWTs, Ginny and Dani had, once again, become best friends. They didn't talk about Draco, though Dani had found out about the whole situation. She didn't take advantage of this to rub it in Ginny's face, and Ginny was grateful; she wouldn't be able to stand someone saying, "I told you so."

Upon arriving in the common room, Hermione swooped down on Ginny, asking to talk to her for a bit. Hesitantly, Ginny agreed, unsure of Hermione's motives; she didn't want to spend another night listening to Hermione's demands that she talk to Draco.

"So how are you?" Hermione asked casually, walking Ginny out of the portrait hole. Ginny answered, and the girls made small talk as Hermione led them around the school. Ginny was about to ask Hermione what exactly she was up to when they came to their destination.

"Here we go," Hermione said. She let Ginny climb up the ladder first that would lead to the viewing area of the Astronomy Tower, talking in a nonsensical way the whole time. When Ginny finally pulled herself onto the landing, Hermione slammed the trap door shut and locked it.

"Hermione!" Ginny shouted.

"I'm sorry, Gin," Hermione replied, her voice muffled by the barrier. "But you two need to work this out."

"What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion right as she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She whipped around to see Draco standing there, arms crossed against his chest, equally pissed at being tricked.

"Good luck, guys!" Ginny heard Blaise shout.

Ginny turned back to the door in the floor that was their only exit point. Whipping out her wand she tried to perform the _Alohomora_ spell, but the lock remained unfazed.

"Sorry, Ginny," Hermione shouted back, "but that's not going to work. We'll come back and let you two leave in the morning!"

"What?" Ginny asked indignantly. _The morning?_ But she could already hear them scuffle away, leaving her and Draco alone.

She turned around and looked at him but didn't say a word. Instead, Ginny crossed the room and sat down on one of the viewing benches, turning away from him to look out across the grounds. It was a beautiful night, that much was true. The air was warm and inviting, and the piney-fresh smell in the air was equally appealing.

"Are we going to talk at all?" Draco's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"That would seem like the point of this punishment, wouldn't it?" She asked icily.

She couldn't help but act awful towards him. The present situation had darkened her mood immensely, and she wasn't ready to talk to anyone, especially him. So being forced to spend the night with him automatically made her bitter.

"Do you have anything to say?" he asked, trying to remain patient.

"No."

He sighed, realizing that she was going to make this very difficult.

"I remember the beginning of this year," he recalled. "You were still the same quiet and meek girl that you've always been. I could make fun of you, saying horrid things, but you'd keep your lips closed tight, never yelling back. Oh, how things have changed. Look at you nowadays. Whenever I do something now, you're so eager and ready to snap at me."

"You think I overreact a little." Ginny stated.

"A little?" He snorted, walking across the distance between them quickly and sitting in front of her. He cupped her face with his hands, forcing Ginny to look at him. Draco watched her for a while.

He looked at Ginny intently, seeing an infinite amount of sorrow swimming in her eyes. Even though she took out all her anger and despair on him, he still wanted help her. He wanted to fix everything that was wrong, heal anything that hurt.

"What?" she muttered, not fighting against his touch.

"I love you, Ginny," he answered. "I always have, and I'm sure I always will."

His words shocked her. She'd heard him say it before, but now, even after everything she'd done, he was saying those three precious words. He was putting his heart on the line, making him vulnerable. One simple rejection and he would break, completely falling to pieces.

"Don't you love me too?" Draco asked. He spoke as if he knew the answer but wanted her to say it all the same. She finally turned to look at him, tears flowing from her eyes and nodded. Of course she loved him.

"I've loved you all along," Ginny muttered.

A genuine smile broke across Draco's face, forcing Ginny to smile herself.

"Don't cry," he told her, wiping away the stray tears. Draco wrapped his arms around her, and Ginny readily snuggled into his embrace. It was amazing what feeling of comfort he gave her; it was something she wanted to keep for the rest of her life.

Ginny pulled away slightly and noticed the look of confusion on Draco's face.

"What?" he asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ginny whispered. "Absolutely nothing."

She leaned forward, kissing him softly. His lips were warm and soft, eagerly accepting her own. She felt him smile and couldn't help but grin herself.

"You gave in pretty fast," he murmured.

"What can I say?" she answered between kisses. "You're irresistible."

After Ginny and Draco had their fair share of kissing, they pulled apart, breathing hard with racing hearts. She curled up in his lap, and they talked through the night. They talked about anything and everything—their fights, the challenges, their dear, determined friends, and more.

"Can I ask you a question?" Draco asked, suddenly remembering a very old worry.

"Sure," Ginny whispered drowsily. Sleep was very tempting as the wee hours of the morning approached.

"At the beginning of the year, you spent all those nights crying by the lake," he recalled. "Well, I still want to know why."

"I was sad," she answered plainly, becoming sleepier and sleepier as the seconds passed.

"Thank you, Miss Obvious," he replied. "Be serious."

"I don't know," Ginny murmured. "My life felt empty and meaningless…my life didn't have you."

Draco smiled, looking down at the sleeping angel in his arms. He was so lucky; it was almost incomprehensible. Why did he deserve someone like her? _Doesn't matter,_ he thought happily, resting his head on her shoulder. He soon fell asleep, listening to Ginny breathe and imagining what a wonderful life he could have with her.

Blaise and Hermione met at the Astronomy Tower first thing in the morning.

"You think it worked?" he asked her eagerly.

"If this didn't work," she replied, "then I don't know what will."

Hermione unlocked the trapdoor and climbed up the ladder with Blaise following. They stood side by side, grins spread across each of their faces as they took in the sight before them. They were both sound asleep with Ginny curled up in Draco's arms.

He woke up slowly and immediately noticed the two intruders standing there.

"Good night?" Blaise asked with a smirk.

Draco only rolled his eyes and motioned for Blaise to be quiet, pointing at the sleeping Ginny. Hermione squealed quietly almost jumping up and down in excitement. This was too perfect! This was the best thing that could have ever happened!

"I guess we'll see you two at breakfast," Blaise whispered with a grin. "Or maybe we won't." He winked.

They left the Astronomy Tower quietly, sneaking glances back at the couple and hoping that this time they'd last. Eventually Ginny woke up, smiling pleasantly when she saw Draco looking down at her.

"Hi you," she mumbled through a yawn.

"Hi sleepy head," he greeted.

After shaking off their sleepiness, Ginny and Draco made their way downstairs only to find that breakfast was over, but Draco said it was no problem.

"I'll meet you in my room, bringing a complementary breakfast directly from the kitchens."

Ginny smiled, telling him that he shouldn't worry about it, that she'd simply wait for lunch, but he wouldn't listen. After explaining to her for the fifth time that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, Ginny finally let him leave. She headed off in the direction of the Head Boy room to wait for his return.

"Ginny!"

Ginny turned around to see Derek running up to her. She felt kind of awkward, realizing that they hadn't talked to one another in a long time.

"Hey, Derek." Ginny tried to be casual.

"I have to tell you something," he explained quickly, and Ginny quietly groaned. She hoped he wasn't about to tell her he still cared, but his words surprised her. He started talking and didn't stop, enlightening Ginny to the events of earlier that year.

He told her _everything_.

Derek explained about how Dani convinced him to take credit for the gift and continued to tell her about Dani's schemes and plans that lasted the entire length of the year.

As each word left Derek's mouth, Ginny became more and more furious. How dare she!

"I'm really sorry, Gin," he mumbled apologetically.

"It's fine, Derek," she told him sincerely. Her anger wasn't targeted at him; no, her fury would be for someone else completely.

She stalked away, fully ready to confront Dani, but thoughts of Draco stopped her. She'd at least have to stop by and tell him that she needed to leave. The last thing Ginny wanted was to anger Draco, so she went out of her way to stop by his room.

"I don't feel like breakfast anymore," she told him icily.

"Why? What's wrong?" Draco asked nervously. _Did I do something already?_ He started to worry but was relieved when Ginny shook her head.

"No," she told him. "I just need to have a little talk with Dani."

With a quick kiss on the cheek, Ginny left Draco to his buffet of food and walked the corridors in search of a certain best friend. _This is the last straw,_ Ginny thought. When she found Dani, and she _would_ find her, she was going to give the girl a piece of her mind.

* * *

**A/N: **No cliffhanger this time! Haha. I only think there's going to be one or two more chapters! Three tops! Oh, and I'm going away on vacation for a week so I won't be able to update until then, but I promise the next chapter(s) will be up as soon as I return!

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and read thus far**! You have no idea what type of encouragement you provide for me! I am forever thankful!

And I swear I have nothing against blonds, haha.


	18. Forbidden Final

Chapter 18: Forbidden Final

* * *

Ginny didn't have time to search out Dani because the final competition of The 10 Challenges was the following morning. She was still in a foul mood on that beautiful Saturday morning, and even Draco's efforts to cheer her up failed.

"It doesn't matter, Gin," Draco told her for the tenth time. "We're together so what does it matter?"

"It _does_ matter," she retorted. They were stalking out on the grounds with the rest of the teams, heading toward an unknown destination. They had not been given any information about the last and final challenge, but they knew it was called the Forbidden Final. Most students assumed that it would involve the Forbidden Forest, but Ginny was too preoccupied with thoughts of Dani to even care.

"Ginny," Draco said sternly, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking at her worriedly. "Gin, _please_. Can't we both just forget about this?" He wrapped his hand around her waist, trying to comfort her, but she just shrugged him off.

They walked with the rest of their team to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Derek keeping some distance from Ginny the entire time. Everyone was talking excitedly, but Ginny only scanned the crowd for Dani. At last Ginny spotted her, talking with Rose and some of her other teammates a couple feet away. Ginny started forward, but Draco held her in her place as Dumbledore began to speak.

"For the last and final competition of The 10 Challenges, each team will select two of their teammates to compete," the headmaster explained. "Everyone else will sit out and cheer their team on to victory. The teachers and I have set up a section of the Forbidden Forest for those two teammates to battle through, racing the other teams to finish first. This final stretch will be perilous, pushing you to your limits."

Professor McGonagall stepped forward to finish explaining the rules, finally telling them that they had ten minutes to converse amongst themselves and choose the two lucky competitors.

Lisa gathered them up and talked rapidly about what would happen, but Ginny just ignored her, glaring at Dani the entire time.

"So are you ready Ginny?" Lisa asked impatiently. Ginny whipped around to see her entire team staring at her.

"Sorry, what?"

"Are you ready to compete?" Lisa asked again. "The team voted that you and Draco were the two best to compete."

Ginny looked at them angrily. She didn't want to compete; she wanted to hex Dani into oblivion. Draco nudged her lightly, giving her a look.

"Fine," she mumbled.

She turned abruptly and walked towards Dani without looking back at her team.

"Oh, hey Gin!" Dani greeted the redhead enthusiastically; she had no idea the fury that was about to be unleashed. Ginny walked straight up to her "friend" and slapped her across the face, ignoring the group of people gathered around them that were staring at her.

"You little wench," Ginny growled. "I can't believe that you have the nerve to be nice to me, pretending that everything's okay."

Dani rubbed her cheek gingerly, looking up at Ginny.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Ginny slapped Dani again, this time across the other cheek.

"I'm talking about you messing around with my life!" Ginny was yelling at this point, her anger dominating her sense of reason. "You screwed _everything_ up all the while pretending to be my friend! You lied to me! You betrayed me!"

Dani nursed her red cheek, not denying any of Ginny's accusations.

"So you don't deny anything?" Ginny questioned in a whisper. "You're not sorry for ruining my life? You have no regrets?"

Dani shook her head sullenly.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Dani whispered. "I thought I was doing what was best for you; I only wanted you to be happy."

Ginny whipped out her wand after hearing her words, making Dani flinch.

"You're unbelievable," Ginny told her finally. "I can't believe that I was ever friends with you."

Ginny turned around and walked away while Dani tried to call her back. She walked up to Draco, and he could see the pain and anger in her expression. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around Ginny protectively. She struggled away from him, but he didn't let go.

"I love you, Ginny," he whispered.

She tried to struggle against his grip, but he wouldn't budge. Eventually, it calmed her down. Lifting her arms around his neck instinctively, she held on tight.

"I love you, too."

Draco smiled into her hair and hugged her tighter. This was how it was meant to be; this was pure happiness. Screw anyone who tried to get in their way. They didn't matter. He twined his fingers with hers, and they walked to the starting line along with a handful of other pairs from the remaining teams. Ginny could see Harry and Ron together, wands out and ready to go, and her heart beat faster as she saw Dani with some other girl.

"It doesn't matter," Draco muttered in her ear, as if knowing what Ginny was thinking. She sighed, gripping his warm hand tighter, but he was right, of course. Who cared about Dani? Ginny was finally with Draco, and nothing was going to tear them apart.

"Are you ready?" Dumbledore asked the teams in a soft voice that magically carried over the crowds. "Remember to send sparks into the air if anything should go wrong," he reminded them. "Begin."

Draco and Ginny sprinted off still hand and hand, pushing past some less than eager teams and running side-by-side with others…like Harry and Ron. The first step into the woods sent a rush through Ginny's body, and she quickened her pace, smiling when she recognized the familiar wave of adrenaline as it crashed down from all around her. The forest was deep and the trees grew less and less scattered the farther Draco and Ginny went in.

"This is awesome," Ginny squealed, launching herself over a fallen tree trunk. There weren't any other teams in sight, as they strayed further from a path that seemed to whither away in to nothingness.

"I don't know about this," Draco muttered. He glanced quickly over his shoulder, straining his ears for sounds or ambient noise.

"Don't be such a worry wart," Ginny retorted. "The woods are beautiful, and it's all so peaceful." She stopped, glancing into the dense darkness around her, perhaps hesitating for the first time since she stepped into the Forbidden Forest. "Besides, Dumbledore wouldn't make this _too_ dangerous." She said this with a shaky voice, remembering all too well the events of The Maze, the final Triwizard challenge. This was too familiar.

"Just be ready," Draco told her softly, gripping his wand harder in his hand. Ginny did the same, reaching for Draco with her free hand automatically. At that moment, both of them paused, hearing a scuttling sound from deeper in the forest.

"Draco?" Ginny hesitated.

"It's okay," he assured her. "Just be ready."

She let go of his hand and poised herself to strike, listening intently. A rush of spells and jinxes rushed through her head as she waited for what seemed like eternity. The noise increased, and then they appeared directly in front of them, as if emerging out of the darkness.

Ginny squeaked, sending stunning spells at the horde of blast-ended skrewts. They. Were. Huge. In the middle of the mayhem, Neville and another seventh year boy were visible. They were surrounded by the hot-tempered beasts, trying to fight them off but failing miserably.

"Neville!" Ginny shouted. She started stunning a path through the skrewts to try and rescue Neville and his fallen comrade. She felt her robes burn as the skrewts launched fire at her, refusing to give up their prize.

"It's okay." The voice came from behind, from Draco. He'd extinguished her robes and was covering her back as she tried to make her way to the middle. Neville had almost given up, the monsters had crawled up and over his teammate and were determined to get Neville as well. Ginny calmed herself down, even as more fire was sent her way, but she knew she performed better magic if she wasn't so stressed.

"Stupefy!" Ginny shouted after a moment off calm, unleashing her full magic on the skrewts. That did it. The bedlam halted as the remaining skrewts looked at their still companions; then they retreated into the blackness, turning on one another as they went.

"Neville!" Her voice was harsh and shrill as she sprinted toward the two bodies.

"I'm fine," Neville answered breathlessly. He was scorched here and there, but that seemed to be the worst of it; his friend, however, seemed like he was down for the count. The boy was barely breathing, and his leg was twisted at an odd angle.

"What can we do?" Draco asked intently. Neville gave him a puzzled look but answered all the same.

"I-I think his leg's broken," Neville rambled, "and I know he hit his head pretty hard."

Ginny raised her wand into the air, sending bright red sparks form its tip and then turning her attention to the boy's leg. She couldn't worry about his head or any internal injuries-that would take a real healer-but she could deal with a broken leg.

Remembering the unit in her charms class that she originally thought was incredibly boring and useless, Ginny recalled the incantation to heal bones. She mumbled to spell and jutted her wand downward, and like magic, the leg straightened itself out then remained still.

"I think he's going to be okay," Draco mumbled. He turned to Ginny. "We can't do anything more here," he told her.

Ginny turned on him anxiously her mind realizing his implication.

"We're just going to leave them here? What happens if those things come back? What if it's something worse next time?"

She could hear the slight hysteria in her voice, as images of monsters emerged from the shadows to prey on the two poor, defenseless boys. The mere idea of it made her sick; why was Draco even suggesting that they leave them?

Draco could see Ginny's thoughts as clearly as if she'd spoken them. He changed tact.

"I'm just saying," he tried again, "that the race is still on." He looked at her intently. "We can still win this thing."

Those were the wrong words to say to Ginny, but she controlled her anger.

"I'm sorry,_ Mafloy_." The words were like venom. "Sometimes there're more important things than winning."

Ginny glared at him, so Draco sighed and kept his mouth shut. This wasn't the time or the place to argue with her.

"It's okay." Neville's voice was quiet and subdued, as if he felt he were intruding on something private. "I've got it covered until one of the teachers comes and gets us."

"Don't be thick, Neville," Ginny snapped. "Of course we're not leaving you alone here. Once the teachers arrive, then we'll continue, but until then, I'm not moving from this spot." She glared at both of them as if daring them to question her.

Luckily, Hagrid and Fang came bounding from the darkness only moments later. They cried out to him in excitement and relief.

"You all righ' kids?" he asked gruffly, inspecting Ginny more than the others.

"Yeah, we're fine," she assured him. "I'm not sure how he is," Ginny explained, pointing to the boy, "but I don't think he's in serious danger."

"I see," the giant professor mumbled. In one swift yet gentle motion, Hagrid swung the limp body over his shoulder and turned around to face the darkness. Beckoning Neville to follow him, Hagrid charged through the darkness with Neville sprinting in his wake.

"Let's get going then," Draco said enthusiastically. The competition was still ahead of them, and he couldn't wait to see Potter's face when he and Ginny stood together, victorious. He didn't see the pointed glare she was giving him.

"What if I don't want to go anywhere?"

Draco frowned.

"Then I'd have to drag you."

His voice held truthfulness, and Ginny didn't doubt that he'd drag her through this awful forest just to win. They glared at one another for a long time until Draco broke.

"Look, Ginny," he explained softly, stepping closer to her. "I'm sorry. I really didn't want them to get hurt, but I just really want to win!" This sounded lame, even to Draco. "I mean, oh, I don't know. If I thought that they'd be in serious danger here, then I would not have even suggested it."

He looked deep into her eyes, pleading softly. Ginny crumpled.

"It's fine." She sighed. "I know you didn't want to hurt them…it just really bugged me that's all."

She stared right back into his grey eyes, loving the warm sensation it gave her.

"Great." Draco grinned. "Now how about we get out of here so we can see the look on Potter's face when he realizes that we've beaten him?"

Ginny's grin matched his.

"Sounds like a plan."

They trudged through the forest begrudgingly, tripping on fallen roots and stumbling blindly into trees. At one time a boggart appeared, but Ginny vanquished it quickly, thanking Merlin that she'd been leading farther ahead. She didn't want to explain to Draco how her worst fear was of her Aunt Muriel; that would just be too weird.

"Can you see that?" Ginny asked cautiously. It was so dark all the time now that she was never sure when her eyes would be playing tricks on her. This, however…this seemed different. Draco peered into the darkness to see what Ginny was talking about.

In the distance, maybe fifty or so yards ahead of them stood a single tree, spaced out more than the rest. But that wasn't the strange part. The strange thing was that the tree seemed to glow, like a hidden light source was tucked deep inside, sheltered but not extinguished.

"I think I do," he muttered in return. Draco had been hoping for some sort of light for the passed half an hour that he could just be hallucinating. It wasn't unlikely.

They approached the lit tree cautiously, wands ready in defense.

But the tree did nothing.

They stood mere inches from it, but it simply shone on. The light didn't seem to be emerging from cracks and lines in the bark but rather from the very material itself. Its surface seemed to create the light haze…but what did that mean?

The word 'wish' was etched in its bark, faded but still there. They scrutinized it seriously.

"What do you think it means?" Ginny asked hurriedly, excitement and hope obvious in her voice. "Can we simply wish something and it'll happen?"

"In that case," Draco interjected, "I wish we won."

Nothing happened.

"I wish we found the finish line," Ginny tried.

Nothing.

They tried on and on, changing up the words a little, but nothing happened. Apparently, this tree was determined to refuse them their wish.

"So what do we do?" Ginny's voice was dull and annoyed. They had stood and argued there for a good ten minutes and always the same questions came up. Ginny thought the tree was pretty pointless, another distraction to, well, distract them, but Draco wasn't sure.

"I don't know." His reply was always the same. Draco had no idea why he felt mesmerized by the illuminated tree, but he knew he didn't want to leave-no matter how impatient Ginny became. He knew that he could figure this out.

"Seriously, Draco." Ginny didn't even try to hide her annoyance anymore. "We're wasting valuable time."

He knew this, of course, yet he didn't want to move.

"Don't you trust me, Gin?" The tone of his voice was slightly annoyed. She whispered her reply.

"Of course."

Draco turned and looked at Ginny, smoldering her impatience with his intense gaze. He wrapped his hands around Ginny's tenderly, sending butterflies loose in her stomach. The intensity made Ginny slightly dizzy.

"Don't you care about me?" Draco continued, making his voice soft and low. He leaned in closer towards her.

Ginny nodded and tilted her head upward, waiting with eagerness for his lips to meet hers. The seconds ticking seemed to drag out, and Ginny's lightheadedness only increased.

"Don't you love me?"

Draco whispered the words so quietly, keeping his lips only inches from hers. It was taking all of his self-control to stop himself from kissing her silly, but he wanted to hear her say the words; he didn't have the faintest idea why, but he wanted it.

"I love you," Ginny whispered back, rising up on her tiptoes to meet his waiting lips. She kissed him slowly, heart beating like crazy at how soft his lips were as they pressed against her own. Draco had barely wrapped his hand through her hair when their surroundings started to shimmer.

This would not have bothered either of them except everything started to shake soon after. The ground, the trees, the _everything_. Everything was shaking and fading, and Ginny felt a similar sensation to that of taking a portkey. For one horrible, awful moment, Ginny remembered Harry's descriptions of the graveyard. He had been taken there via portkey. The very thought made Ginny's stomach churn with fear. She gripped Draco tighter, closing her eyes until all the uneasiness faded.

But when Ginny imagined screams of pain and anguish in her ears, she was surprisingly met with shouts of joy and laugher and…applause? Surely she was hearing things. Why were people cheering?

"You can open your eyes, Gin," Draco whispered happily in her ear.

Slowly, slower than the slowest snail, Ginny peeked an eye open only to see-to her great surprise-the entire school on their feet and clapping and shouting and whistling. The effect was utterly overpowering. Ginny felt herself go weak in the knees, but Draco was there and ready to catch her. Subconsciously, Ginny realized they still had their arms wrapped around each other. She stepped away sheepishly as Dumbledore came forward to greet them.

"Congratulations!" His voice boomed through the crowd of students, which set them to cheering and shouting even more. He smiled down on them with love in his eyes. Again, Ginny turned away sheepishly, as if she didn't deserve it.

Before Dumbledore could say one more word, the rest of team Vincitori came crashing down on them. Squeals and laughter and excitement surround the group as everyone hugged one another and slapped each other's backs in congratulations.

While Lavender locked Ginny in an embrace, she could vaguely see Harry and Ron emerging from the Forbidden Forest, looking dejected as they noticed Ginny and Draco. Ginny gave them a hesitant smile, but they only sat on the ground, turning their backs on her-probably to discuss their loss privately.

_Sore losers,_ Ginny thought. _Oh well, they'll get over it_. She didn't let their poor behavior bother her as her team began to plan their trip to Italy. This last win would allow them to pull ahead of the Winning Wizards and win the much coveted free week in Italy. The joy Ginny felt was overbearing! Her cheeks hurt from smiling too much.

Teams slowly made their way out of the Forbidden Forest, and the rest of the students trickled over to congratulate the other teams even sympathetically. Ginny beamed at everyone who passed her, telling her how much she deserved it etc. She didn't know them, and they certainly didn't know her; but that didn't matter. She _did_ deserve this. She felt like she deserved some real happiness for once. Ginny's mind betrayed her, unconsciously wondering when the next thing would go wrong.

"So how did we do it?" Draco's voice interrupted her thoughts. Ginny's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"How did we do what?"

Draco lowered his voice as students passing by turned to them in congratulations.

"How did we wind up at the finish line?"

The question floated into Ginny's mind; not once since she opened her eyes to the cheering crowd had she wondered how they'd gotten there in the first place. She was just about to let her mind go crazy with ideas when Dumbledore stepped in.

"I do believe I know the answer," he supplied. Draco and Ginny turned to him expectantly. "It's just a theory, but I do believe that you may have come across a certain tree…"

"The Wish Tree!" Ginny exclaimed. Dumbledore nodded.

"It's also known as the Tree of Light, and it has the uncanny power to either provide wishes or answers." At this point he paused. "This is where the theory part comes in. No one really knows how to use this unique magic even if they happen to stumble across one such unique tree.

"There are many theories, of course, some of which even coincide with my own. But I believe that the wondrous beauty and pureness of the Wish Tree can only be activated by something deeply as pure and brilliant."

Dumbledore looked at them expectantly. When neither answered, he whispered only one word.

"Love."

With that, he walked away.

"Wow," Draco said slowly, sarcasm apparent in his tone. "Why is love always the answer to everything with him?"

Ginny burst into uncontrollable laughter. The sound was light and melodious, filling Draco with warmth.

"I don't know," she answered with a grin, "but it never gets old."

A violent and bloody screamed ripped Ginny's smile off her face. Every single head turned to the forest as a dirtied, hysterical girl tore her way through its outer edges. At once, teachers swarmed around her, making sure she was alright. Ginny ran forward with Draco right behind, and they both wedged themselves inside the circle.

The teachers were trying to calm her down, but she kept shaking and screaming, uttering incoherent phrases. Her eyes were wide with a terrible fright, and the trembling was getting worse. Finally, one word escaped her mouth that was understood by all.

"Dani," she whispered, eyes full of fear and pain.

"What?" Ginny questioned automatically. The girl turned to look at Ginny with anguish seeping from her pale blue eyes.

"Where's Dani?" A voice asked, but the girl didn't tear her eyes away from Ginny.

"Where's Dani?" Ginny repeated, so quietly that she wondered if anyone could hear her. The girl's eyes flickered towards the forest for a brief second then back to Ginny.

Ginny felt every warm feeling vanish from her immediately and shivered, but not because it was actually cold. Everyone's eyes looked towards the Forbidden Forest, which, in that last second, seemed to become more menacing and frightening than ever.

With a sickening feeling, Ginny uttered one last word: the name of her friend, a friend who was now lost and alone in a forest that was definitely not friendly.

"Dani."

* * *

**A/N:** Eek! I'm so tired. I'm running on three hours of sleep. I'm sooooo sorry I didn't have this up sooner, but I thought I'd have time to update before I left again for another weeks worth of lovely vacation time…I guess I was wrong. Lo siento.

Did you all read the Deathly Hallows?! Oh, what am I asking, of course you've all read it. Did you like it or not? I'd LOVE to hear your opinions about the last and final book about our beloved, magical friends. The last one! That fact alone can get me teary eyed.


	19. Tying Up Loose Ends

Chapter 19: Tying Up Loose Ends

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long...well, here it is!!

* * *

"_I can't believe that I was ever friends with you."_

Those were the last words Ginny said to Dani. It seemed like a decade ago that she was fighting with Dani on the outskirts of the perilous forest, but Ginny wished more than anything that she could rewind time. No matter how angry she'd been, it didn't mean she wanted Dani to disappear…or worse.

"It's not your fault," Draco told Ginny seriously.

"Why do I feel so guilty then?" she retorted.

Draco didn't answer. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her waist in comfort. They were sitting in the Great Hall with the rest of the school as Dumbledore and the other teachers created a plan. Ginny was going crazy; why weren't they already out there searching for Dani? Why were they just standing around talking instead of scrounging the forest for her lost friend?

"We have to do something," Ginny muttered, turning to face Draco for the first time. She was deadly serious, and Draco hated to think of the plan forming in her mind.

"Listen, Gin," he began calmly. "This is something for the teachers to deal with." She was about to retort, but he held up his hand in protest. "We can handle the forest, yes, it's probably true, but I don't want to risk losing you too."

He looked at her critically, but another idea was already formulating in Ginny's head.

"You're right," she said, dismissing her argument. "Let's just let the teachers search and hope that everything goes well."

Draco was shocked that she folded so easily, but he didn't say anything, only hugged her tightly.

"Listen, though," Ginny continued easily. "I need to go to the bathroom a second. Just tell me when I get back what they've decided or something…" her voice trailed off as she walked away from their seat.

He watched her go wordlessly, a worry line forming on his perfect face; he didn't like this. Afraid that Draco might figure out her plan, Ginny kept on walking without looking back. She couldn't trust her face to hide her emotions for much longer. Whipping out her wand, she set off across the grounds, her eyes set on the looming forest.

It was afternoon, and the sun looked as if it would give up soon, hiding beneath the horizon. Taking a deep breath, Ginny took her first steps into the Forbidden Forest…

* * *

It only took five minutes for Draco to realize where Ginny had gone. He mentally kicked himself for letting her go out and search for Dani, _alone_ no less. What kind of boyfriend—no, what kind of _friend_ was he? 

After telling Snape of Ginny's search and rescue plan, Draco demanded that he be allowed to join the search party. Of course, he was practically shouting because of his nerves, which resulted in the trio's interest. He was, unfortunately, paired with Potter while Hermione and Ron teamed up to go search the Forbidden Forest.

"Great," Draco mumbled as he and Harry walked into the forest ten minutes later.

"Don't say anything, Malfoy," Harry shot back. "In case you haven't realized it, you're not the only one who cares about Ginny."

This kept Draco quiet. He knew it'd be only too easy to push Harry over the edge, reminding him that Ginny had actually chosen Draco instead of the Boy Who Lived, but he didn't. Draco held his tongue, knowing that Harry's help would be needed, even if it wasn't desired.

Every minute felt like an hour for the search party. No one had seen any evidence of either Ginny or Dani. Luck was apparently _not_ on their side.

The sun had long been set as Draco and Harry searched by wand light in the foreboding darkness. The forest was, perhaps, ten times worse in the dark. Unconsciously, Draco remembered the first time he'd stepped foot in the forest; his first year seemed to be a far memory away.

A snapping of a twig caused both wizards to freeze with their wands ready for an attack. When nothing appeared, they continued, but even the most subtle sounds from then on sent shivers down their spines.

Hours flew by, but there was still no sign of either of the missing girls. As dawn was breaking, the teachers forced the trio and Draco to return to the castle to allow the staff _only_ to continue the search. Draco was particularly difficult to convince, but the lack of sleep was killing him. There was also a fear, a churning disheartened feeling that crept into his body, fatiguing his mind more than anything. Would they ever find Ginny? Draco didn't doubt the forest's fatal power, but Ginny was tough, right? He planted himself at the base of the front doors, not daring to stray too far. However, depression and fear slowly pulled him under, and Draco fell asleep on the front steps of the majestic school. When he slept, he had nightmares…

* * *

Ginny struggled through the thick forest, jumping at any and all sounds. After a couple hours of wandering aimlessly, she admitted to herself that this was a _very_ bad idea. The Forbidden Forest was a dangerous place, not something to be taken lightly. _Oh well,_ she thought. _There's nothing I can do about that anymore._

Another sound made Ginny's heart leap, and she froze, not daring to even breathe.

The rustling continued a few meters in front of Ginny; all she could see was blackness, but Ginny was sure someone or some_thing_ was only paces ahead of her. She lifted her wand as the sounds grew closer. Any second now, whatever was there would step into her wand light…

"Ginny?"

Ginny exhaled and rushed at her long lost friend.

"Dani!"

The two girls hugged furiously. Ginny was beyond exited that she'd found her, but she was also glad that she didn't have to brave the Forbidden Forest alone anymore.

"What happened?" Ginny asked quickly, referring to the final challenge.

"Trolls!" Dani exclaimed with a groan. "Can you believe that? Cindy and I were just walking through here, and a pair of trolls came out of nowhere. We both split and ran in opposite directions, and well, I've been wandering ever since."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Dani looked at Ginny. "Wait, you're not lost too, are you?"

"No, no. I went looking for you after we realized you were gone."

Dani raised her eyebrows. "_You_ went looking for _me_?" The disbelief was apparent in Dani's features. "Aren't you still pissed at me?"

Ginny shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Dani." She gave her friend a timid smile. "The past is the past."

Dani hugged her friend tightly again.

"Well," Dani began after pulling away, "are the teachers out looking for me too?"

"I suppose they are now," Ginny said with a sigh. A confused look from Dani made Ginny continue. "I kind of went out looking for you without telling anyone…"

"Ginny!"

"I know, I know," Ginny admitted. "It was pretty thick of me, but I was just really worried."

"Thanks, but how about we just get out of here now?"

"Good plan," Ginny agreed.

It only took Ginny about forty minutes to navigate her way out of the Forbidden Forest. Dani was very impressed, but even Ginny couldn't explain how she'd done it. When they were at the edge of the forest, Dani stopped Ginny before they continued.

"There's one more thing I want to tell you, Gin." Dani hesitated. She looked at the ground, kicking some dirt around in apprehension.

"What is it?"

Dani looked into her friend's eyes. This confession could ruin their friendship indefinitely.

"Dani," Ginny said, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders. "You can tell me anything."

The earnestness in Ginny's eyes convinced Dani to spill. Looking out to the distance, Dani began her story.

"I messed with your life and lied to you all this time, but my intentions were pure. I hated the way you were when Draco hurt you, and I never _ever_ wanted to see you like that again. The whole time I thought you'd be better off without him, but I underestimated how much he actually meant to you. _And_ I didn't think he really cared about you either. I didn't want to see you give everything to some guy who would just drop you when he was done with you."

Dani hesitated again. This next bit was the hard part.

"As you know," she continued, "I went to some pretty extreme measures to follow through with this plan." She finally looked at Ginny with tears in her eyes. "I'm really sorry, Gin, _really _sorry. On the night of that party, I fixed my hair so it was blonde—so you wouldn't recognize me—and I headed out with a certain plan in mind…"

Ginny dropped her hands from Dani's shoulders. She didn't know if she wanted to hear the rest.

"I went there looking for Malfoy, thinking that if I made him cheat on you, then you'd either see it yourself or someone would tell you, and then you'd dump him for sure. I didn't think he'd actually try to stop me, and we didn't do anything but you walked in at that perfect moment so the damage was done regardless."

She looked and Ginny, her eyes pleading for forgiveness.

"I know you probably won't ever want to talk to me again, but I'm _really_ sorry. I don't think I can explain to you how awful I feel about all this."

Dani couldn't look at Ginny anymore. The pain in her heart forced her eyes to the horizon where the sun rose slowly. Not knowing how Ginny would react made Dani's stomach churn; maybe this wasn't such a good idea…

Ginny sighed. "You're forgiven."

Dani's shocked expression and speechlessness made Ginny laugh.

"Like I said," Ginny began, slinging an arm around her friend. "What's in the past is over and done with. We'll move on from here."

"Really?'

The eagerness in Dani's voice made Ginny grin wider than before, and she nodded. They walked arm in arm towards the looming school in the distance. As they approached, Ginny noticed a still form on the steps of the great school. Slowly, she recognized the slightly tossed white, blonde hair.

"Draco!" Ginny squealed and sprinted the rest of the way to the school.

Dani walked behind, feeling guilty. Even after all the awful things she'd done, Ginny and Draco had _still_ managed to be together. Maybe it was fate…

"Huh? Whu-?" he mumbled sleepily, but before he could take in the sight before him, Ginny pounced. She lunged into his arms, wrapping hers around his body tightly. Something about being lost in the Forbidden Forest had really made Ginny realize how important Draco was to her.

Draco easily wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, relief and happiness overcoming him. The thought of losing Ginny, after all they went through to be together had tormented him for the past few hours.

"Ginny!" He hugged her even tighter, and she curled up into his chest. "You scared me _so_ much! Don't you _ever_ do anything like that _ever_ again!"

Ginny smiled into his chest and promised she would never leave him again unless he wanted her to. It was nice to simply feel his arms around her. She heard Dani mumble something about finding a teacher to tell the school she was safe and departed quickly; it was the least she could do.

* * *

The following day, team Vincitori was officially announced as the winner of The 10 Challenges. Amongst the clapping and cheering, Ginny and her teammates beamed gratefully, thinking ahead to their wondrous, grand prize. 

"Your prize," Dumbledore was explaining, "will be two weeks after school is released and all the information will be sent to you about where your staying, how to get there, etc. I guess that's all. Enjoy your last few days of class and try to behave."

The twinkle in his eye told the students otherwise. They had three days left of school, and they were going to act like vacation already started. Besides, the last few days the teachers practically gave up trying to teach so most classes involved class 'discussions' and the like. However, these last couple of days were a little more frightening for Ginny. The end of the school year meant Draco would be graduating, they'd both go to separate homes, and most likely, go their own separate ways. Her depression was obvious.

"What's wrong, Gin?" Draco's concerned tone broke through Ginny's thoughts. She'd been imagining Draco moving on with life, which mainly consisted of moving on to many other women. Would she be forgotten _that_ easily?

"Nothing." Ginny smiled, and Draco let it drop for the moment.

"Miss Weasley?"

Professor Flitwick's voice interrupted their conversation as their charm's teacher tried to move through the crowd towards them. Ginny looked up to see her professor's excited face. He beckoned for her to follow him.

"Will you come with me for a moment, please?"

"I'll be right back," she murmured to Draco, following Flitwick out of the Great Hall and into a stray classroom.

"Right, Miss Weasley, we have another proposition to offer you." He looked at Ginny expectantly, watching her reaction. Ginny was confused.

"We?"

"We, as in Dumbledore and the entire Hogwarts teaching staff."

"Oh." Ginny waited patiently for her professor to continue. All of this was still very confusing.

"All of your teachers have agreed that you are an excellent student. You excel in all subjects and are top of your class."

He paused to watch Ginny's face, but she showed no signs of comprehension. Obviously, Ginny knew that she was one of the best in her class. There were so many times during the year that Ginny was abandoned and alone that she had plenty of time to study and perfect spells and potions, but what did all of that mean?

"Anyway," Flitwick continued, "we have given this idea a great deal of thought, and we believe that you are ready to take your NEWTs right now."

"_What_?" The idea was completely absurd to Ginny. She hadn't even _started_ her seventh year, and they already wanted her to take that test? It was impossible. Ridiculous.

"The choice is completely up to you," he assured her, "but if you received decent enough marks on the exam, then you'd have the option of skipping your entire seventh year. But, again, this is only if you want to. This decision is completely up to you and your family."

Ginny's mouth gaped open. _Skip her entire seventh year? _Her mind immediately flew to one idea: graduating with Draco.

"We aren't doing this on a whim," Flitwick reminded Ginny. "You aced your exams this year, hardly answering a question wrong, and it peaked the interest of all the teachers. We're interested to see what you're capable of."

This all sounded slightly familiar to Ginny as she remembered being moved up to the advanced charms class. That worked out quite well, so maybe this could too…

"If I didn't like the marks I received, then I could just take the test again next year, right?" she asked curiously.

"Exactly right. You can even take it the test out of curiosity, just to see what it's like."

Ginny wasn't paying attention anymore; her mind was creating a future for her. She saw herself graduating with Draco, then maybe renting a place together, living together and spending an unlimited amount of time together. The possibilities were endless, and the idea itself was more than tempting.

"I'll do it."

The words were out so quickly that it took Flitwick a second to register the response.

"Excellent! Excellent!" He beamed. "You will have to take all of your exams today, tomorrow, and the day after that, I'm afraid. This is a _much _shorter time than the normal seventh year student has, but you'll just have to do your best. There will be a private session in the Great Hall where you will take both the written and practical parts of your exams, and we'll be able to tell you your results either later that night or in the morning before you leave."

Ginny was barely listening. How was she supposed to take an extremely important exam that should take at least a week and expect to pass in only three days? Plus, she wouldn't even have any time to study!

An image of Draco's face popped into her head and all her doubts and worries disappeared. If she could pass with good marks now, then why not do it?

"It's nine right now, Miss Weasley, and right after lunch, you can stay in the Great Hall where you will complete the written parts of several of your subjects."

Ginny nodded with an odd sort of numbness creeping over her. She didn't want to hope that she'd pass the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, but hope she did. Ginny didn't care what sort of job or career she'd get with these marks; that didn't mean anything to her at all.

"Good luck, Ginny," Flitwick squeaked as he walked out the door, and she knew he meant it.

After everything hit her, Ginny rushed out of the room in search of Draco. She didn't have to go far because he was waiting for her at the entrance to the Great Hall.

"What did he want?"

"The best news!" Ginny's enthusiasm was overwhelming. She dragged him down the corridors, all the while ignoring Draco's questions.

"Where are we going?"

"What did Flitwick say?"

"Come on, Gin, why can't you fill me in?"

They arrived at the Head Boy room, and Ginny quickly said the password, pulling Draco inside. She was practically dancing out of her robes with excitement, and Draco was beginning to get annoyed.

"Seriously, Ginny," he was saying. "If you don't tell me now, I'm going to leave."

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you." Draco watched Ginny expectantly as she began to explain. Everything that was said between Ginny and Flitwick was told again. She couldn't tell what Draco was thinking, but the look on his face made her queasy.

"Are you sure about this, Gin?" He looked skeptical after digesting the offer made to Ginny.

"What?" she asked, slightly aghast. "You don't think I can do it?"

Ginny was somewhat hurt by his doubt, but she didn't say anything more. Turning away from him, Ginny plopped down on one of the couches and gazed off in the distance.

"It's not that I don't think you can do it," Draco said quickly, sitting down next to her. "I just don't understand why you'd want to. Why would you want to give up an entire year of your education? Wouldn't you miss your friends and all the experiences and everything? I just don't get it, Gin."

"You don't?"

Ginny's voice shook slightly as Draco wrapped his arm around her in comfort. He shook his head in confusion, making Ginny sigh.

"I-I just thought that," she paused, "that it would be better if we could graduate together…"

"Why should that matter?"

"Oh, I don't know." Ginny looked away awkwardly, refusing to look Draco in the eye.

"Ginny?" he questioned. His voice was tentative, not pressing her for information but making it obvious that he wanted to know all the same.

Ginny opened her mouth and the words came out faster than planned, slurring together at some points but then mumbling softly at others.

"Well, you're graduating already this year, and I'm still going to have to go to school next year, which means we're going to be apart for a long time so you'll probably just forget about me some time or other, leaving me alone to try and move on with my life. I just don't want to be left in the dust while you move on to bigger and better things after school, and I don't want to become just a memory of yours, someone you once cared about but who no longer means anything to you."

Silence pressed in on the two of them, and Ginny, now turning her gaze toward Draco, watched him impatiently for some sort of reaction. But he remained speechless. What did you say to a confessional like that?

The silence ticked on, and Ginny sighed, turning away again.

"I guess it doesn't really matter then. You obviously don't care."

Ginny went to stand up and leave, but Draco pulled her back down.

"Gin, wait. Of course I care." He looked her deep in the eyes. "I understand what you're saying; I just think you're being ridiculous."

He put his hand under her chin, lifting it up to force Ginny to look at him.

"I love you, Ginny," Draco said with an impish grin. "But I'm not going to run off and forget you."

Ginny's teary eyes blinked furiously as she digested his words. The fear and hesitation that had gripped her for the past few days could not leave as quickly as it came; she would need a little more persuasion for her doubts to be calmed.

"Ginny, love." Draco's words were soft but sincere. "How can you honestly believe that any other person could capture my heart the way you have? You have no need to worry about me leaving you for someone else. I only have eyes for you," he assured her.

"Really?"

"Really." He grinned. "Now, if you still want to take the exam, then there's nothing wrong with that, and if you're allowed to graduate early, then you can." Draco looked at her seriously. "Just remember that you don't _have _to do this; you don't _have_ to graduate now just to stay with me because, face it, I'm not letting you go."

Draco smiled at her again. This time Ginny couldn't hide her own happiness.

"Do you really mean that?" Ginny looked at him hopefully.

"I really do."

Draco pulled Ginny close to his chest, kissing her on the top of her head. She leaned into him with a sigh, repeating his comforting words in her head. They stayed like that for a long time until Ginny had to leave for her testing.

"You don't have to do this, you know." Draco was trying to reassure Ginny again, but she wasn't listening.

"Oh, I know. But I might as well, really. There's no harm in me taking it, remember?"

They walked down to the Great Hall where they sat and had lunch together, Ginny and Draco taking a spot at the end of the Slytherin table. Students everywhere were giving them confused looks, but the pair was more than oblivious. After they ate, Draco kissed Ginny on the cheek goodbye, and Ginny waited around for the room to clear out. Once the Great Hall was empty, a single desk replaced the four, long house tables and an examiner appeared.

"Are you ready to begin, Miss Weasley?" the old, gray-haired witch asked.

"Yes."

Ginny sighed and pulled out her quill, taking a seat at the desk and looking over her history of magic written exam. It was going to be a _very_ long three days.

* * *

Ginny practically ran out of the Great Hall on the last day of school. Naturally, Draco was sitting against the stone wall waiting for her to finish. 

"How'd it go?" he asked eagerly. They both started walking and arrived at the Head Boy room in no time. Sitting down on a couch, Ginny sighed dramatically.

"I don't know, but thank Merlin it's over." She hugged Draco tightly. "Dumbledore said he'll let me know in a few hours."

"A few hours?"

"I guess so," Ginny answered, "but let's not talk about it anymore. _Please_, can we just relax and have a good time tonight."

Draco gave her a sly grin and kissed her neck.

"I know how we can have a good time," he whispered, trailing kisses along her jaw line.

"Mmm," Ginny murmured. "I think I'll like this."

Draco continued to kiss her neck while Ginny wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him in close. She found his lips greedily, loving their soft, warm touch. Swinging her legs around his waist, Ginny pressed her body into his and held tight. He placed his hands under her thighs and stood up, carrying Ginny into the other room. She giggled softly, as Draco continued to kiss her neck.

They flopped onto the bed, Draco pressing down on Ginny gently. Placing both of his hands on the sides of her head, he looked into her deep, brown eyes.

"I love you," Draco muttered in between kisses.

Ginny held onto him tightly, rolling over so she was lying on top of him. He grabbed her waist quickly, pulling her body against his. Ginny was kissing his neck, and his lips, and his face, all the while murmuring how much she loved him too.

A powerful yawn interrupted her confession, and Ginny plopped down against Draco's body, resting her head against his chest.

"Done so soon?" Draco asked, only a slight disappointment evident in his voice. Ginny yawned again, an unspoken answer to his question. She buried her head into his chest again, wrapping her arms around his body. Draco sighed but held her close anyway. He pulled the blanket around them, rubbing Ginny's back every now and again, wondering the whole time how he had gotten so lucky. The night passed quickly as they clung to each other desperately, but the rising sun was a start of something good.

"Sleep well?" Draco mumbled, stifling a yawn.

"Mhmm."

Ginny stretched her arms, while Draco wrapped his around her tiny waist. Ginny squeaked when he pulled her close to him. Automatically, Draco began to kiss her slowly, twisting his fingers through her curly, red hair. He breathed in her scent frantically, like a druggie who's afraid to lose his fix. Ginny giggled as Draco's hot breath tickled her neck.

"You're beautiful," he murmured into her ear. The words sent chills down Ginny's spine.

"Why thank you," Ginny whispered back.

The rest of the morning was spent in a similar way until Ginny had to leave to get her belongings. It was their last morning, and Ginny knew she had a few last minute things to pack. Skipping breakfast, Ginny was able to pack everything strewn around her dormitory and clean herself up a little. As she skipped down the corridor, she was stopped by Professor Dumbledore.

"Ah," he said. "Here you are, Miss Weasley. Did you get the letter I sent you last night?'

"Err-" Ginny had completely forgotten about her NEWT results. Draco had the uncanny ability to make her forget about everything besides him.

"Here's another copy of your marks," her headmaster continued, ignoring her hesitation before. He handed over a piece of parchment to Ginny's shaking hands, watching her reactions over his half-moon spectacles.

There were many grades on the sheets since Ginny had taken about every single subject that she could, just in case.

_History of Magic: Poor_

Ginny cringed. It wasn't an excellent way to start, but who cared about History of Magic anyway?

_Charms: Outstanding_

Outstanding?! Did she read that correctly? Ginny knew she did amazing on the practical part, knowing every single spell the examiner asked her to perform, but the written exam had made her unsure. Apparently, her worrying had been for nothing.

_Potions: Exceeds Expectations_

Exceeds Expectations? By Merlin this was turning out better than Ginny expected! She'd done fairly well on each part of the Potions exam, but a minor slip in a tricky potion she was making probably cost her that Outstanding mark.

_Defense Against the Dark Arts: Exceeds Expectations_

Another Exceeds Expectations? This one Ginny understood a little more. After all, she had been a member of the DA in her fourth year, being a personal student of Harry, himself.

_Care of Magical Creatures: Poor_

Not such a good mark, but she'd survive without going into a career that involved Blast-Ended Skrewts or the like, so this was all good and fine for her.

_Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations_

Ginny sucked in hesitantly. Could she be imaging this? Would her mind go as far as this just to comfort herself?

_Herbology: Acceptable_

Acceptable! The good marks just kept on coming.

_Muggle Studies: Acceptable_

This was a shock, considering Ginny hardly ever paid attention in that class, but she resigned to guess that the passing grade was thanks to her father, who knew all sorts of things about spark plugs and telephones.

_Astronomy: Poor_

Again, who truly cared about Astronomy?

Ginny read over her grades another time, eagerness and excitement flowing through her body. She looked up to see Dumbledore smiling down at her, a glint in his twinkling, blue eyes. He gave her a wink and began to speak.

"I'm guessing you'll like to graduate now." He looked at her intently.

"Yes!" Ginny squealed and jumped up with excitement, barely containing the urge to hug her old headmaster. "Thank you so much!"

"We are all _very_ proud of you, Ginny," her headmaster told her. "You have done an amazing job! And, if I go so far as to say it, I think you would've given your brother Percy a run for his money. I doubt that even he could've received such high marks in his sixth year alone."

Ginny quickly thanked him again, a grin exploding on her face and practically sprinted down the corridor, looking for Draco to tell him the good news. She burst into the Great Hall and spotted Draco at once. After seeing her, Draco rose and rushed over to Ginny, who barely held a straight face.

"What's up?" he asked eagerly, trying to decipher Ginny's expression.

"I got my marks back from the test," she practically whispered. The self-control Ginny exerted was astounding.

Draco's face fell. "And how'd you do?"

Ginny couldn't help it anymore; a grin broke across her face, and she started jumping up and down with joy. She flung her arms around Draco's neck, telling him excitedly her good news.

"I did amazingly!" Ginny squealed. "These grades are definitely good enough to graduate!"

"Wow," Draco murmured. "I hope my results turn out at least as good as yours or else I'll feel ridiculous."

Ginny gave him a look but hugged him tighter.

"What's going on here?" Ron's confused voice cut into their conversation.

"Oh, Ron!" Ginny turned around and hugged her brother tightly, explaining to him the good news.

"Congratulations, Gin!" Her older brother grinned at her sincerely, a fact that made Ginny's heart flutter. Ron actually seemed pleased and happy at her news, something that Ginny could never have dreamed of.

"Thank you so much!" Ginny squealed again, hugging Hermione and Harry in turn and accepting their congratulations as well. What a wonderful day this was turning out to be. Ginny couldn't wait to tell her family the test results, and she couldn't wait to start her life after Hogwarts—a life that would, hopefully, include Draco Malfoy.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey all you Harry Potter fans! Go and read Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer! It's a sequel to Twilight and New Moon, and it's probably my favorite book eveeeeeeeeeeer! It's really _that_ good. 

Well, thanks for all the reviews so far, and I hope you like this chapter! Only one more, I believe! Don't be sad, but I'd still love any feedback or comments!


	20. Italy and After

Chapter 20: Italy and After

**A/N: **This is the end! Yikes! ENJOY!

* * *

It was somewhat depressing for Ginny to leave Hogwarts, knowing that she'd never go back there for her seventh year. It was all still a huge shock for her, and it probably wouldn't sink in until later in the summer: she was done with school, she could start her life, and she could be with Draco.

That last bit would be harder to deal with than the rest. Ginny still hadn't explained to her family exactly what was going on between her and the Slytherin Prince.

"Ginny!" Molly Weasley shouted from downstairs.

"What mum?"

"Have you packed everything for your trip?"

"Yes, mum!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Merlin! The last two hours had passed in the same way for Ginny. Molly Weasley was the same, if not worse, than she was when the kids had to pack for school. Everything had to be checked off of a list, once, twice, even _three_ times. It was rather annoying.

To distract herself, Ginny pulled out the letter Draco had sent her the other day.

_Ginny, love,_

_It's only been two weeks since I last saw you, but I think I'm already going crazy. It's so bad that I find myself trying to write out all my feelings to you, trying to tell you how much I can't stand life without you._

_But I'll see you soon. Imagine: you and me in Italy. Oh, the trouble we'll get in!_

_Love, Draco_

_P.S. You really should let your family know about me. I've told mother, and though she's rather shocked, she's willing to meet you. You don't have to fear anything from my father; he's locked away in Azkaban, and I doubt they'll let him out anytime soon. _

_But seriously, Gin, won't you _please_ tell at least your parents about me? I can't stand not seeing you, and I would love to meet them._

Ginny sighed. Every letter Draco sent would end like that, but how was she supposed to tell her parents that she was dating someone they all hated? She could imagine how the conversation would go:

"Good morning, Ginny," her mother would say happily.

"Mornin' Gin," her brothers would say in unison. They'd all be sitting down at the large table in The Burrow eating breakfast, Mr. Weasley reading the Daily Prophet and sipping coffee. She wouldn't sit, but she'd clear her throat with a smile.

"Good morning, everyone! It's a beautiful day, isn't it? Oh, and by the way, I've secretly been dating Draco Malfoy for the past couple months."

They'd all probably spit a variety of food and drink from their mouths and begin to shout their bloody heads off.

Ginny shook her head furiously. No, that wasn't the way to go about it at all. Maybe she'd get to them one at a time? Or maybe she'd just shout it at them right before she took the floo network to their Italy villa. That made Ginny laugh. If only it were that easy.

With a sigh, Ginny got up to search for Ron. She was leaving the next day, so she might as well tell them all soon. Turning out of her door, she ran smack into Harry.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed from the floor.

"Oh, sorry, Gin." He helped her up quickly while she asked where Ron was.

"He's up in his room," Harry told her. "I'm headed up there now. Come along!"

Ginny groaned but followed him upstairs anyway. She hadn't planned to tell Harry, hoping that maybe one of her brothers would break the news to him while she was away. Even though he hadn't tried anything in the last couple weeks, Ginny could sense that he still cared about her. Even back in the hallway when he helped her up, Ginny noticed that Harry held onto her hand for longer than necessary.

"Hey Ginny!" Ron was plopped on his bed, looking up at a poster of the Chudley Cannons attached to his ceiling.

"Hi." Ginny was suddenly very unsure. She'd planned this conversation in her head for the last two weeks, but somehow, when she sat down next to Ron, all the words slipped away. Her mouth wouldn't open, and the words refused to form.

"So what's up?" Ron's voice was detached, but Harry was staring at her very closely.

"I'm dating Draco Malfoy!"

Ginny covered her mouth quickly, but it was too late: the words were out. The damage was done. For a while it was silent, and Ginny began to hope that maybe she'd said the words in her head and neither Ron nor Harry had heard her.

"I know," Ron said after a few minutes. "You don't think I'm _that_ thick, do you Gin?"

Ginny stared—no, she gaped—at her brother, who was still looking up at the ceiling. He wasn't shouting at her, he wasn't red in the face, and he wasn't promising to beat Draco into a bloody pulp…weird.

"How long have you known?" she asked timidly, shock apparent in her voice.

"For a while now, Gin."

"Actually," Harry interjected, "Hermione's the one who told us."

He gave Ginny a small smile but turned away. She could see Harry's utter sadness, etched in every fold of his expression; it pained her to see him that way. She almost wanted to take it all back just to make him smile again…almost.

"Are you okay with it?"

Ron sighed. "Does it really matter if I approve or not?" He sat up and looked at his little sister seriously. "Gin, this is _your_ life we're talking about here, not _mine_. You're free to make decisions all on your own, free to make mistakes and choose your own path."

"I know I don't _need_ your approval," Ginny said quickly, "but that doesn't mean that I don't want it."

Ron looked at her long and hard, but his face eventually broke into a smile.

"I approve," he said, rolling his eyes. Ginny hugged him tightly. "That doesn't mean that I won't beat that ferret up if he hurts you," Ron warned. "One mistake, even one single tear, and Harry and I will hex him into oblivion."

Ginny laughed, but she knew that he was dead serious. After hugging her brother for a good period of time, Ginny turned to Harry. She looked at him without a word, hoping her pleading eyes would say all that needed to be said.

"I'll always love you, Ginny," Harry whispered. "But if he's the one who'll make you happy, then I won't stop you."

Ginny ran over to where Harry sat and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered. He held her tightly, a great feeling of desperation and sadness in the embrace. When Ginny finally pulled back, she could see tears forming in Harry's eyes, but the Boy Who Lived refused to let them fall.

"I guess I better tell the rest of the family," Ginny said finally.

"That would probably be a good idea," Ron replied. "But no worries, Gin. We'll work on them while your gone if they need convincing."

He gave his sister one last hug before Ginny went to search for the rest of her family. The day was long and filled with stress, but Ginny had successfully told every single one of her family members, except Percy, who could rarely be found these days.

There were a couple swears muttered, a little shouting, and a lot of shocked expressions, but Ginny did it. However, the experience could've gone smoother. Ginny hoped Ron would keep his promise and assure everyone that all was well while she was away for a week with said boyfriend—in an Italian villa, no less. Ginny knew her father would probably need the most work. A rough background with Lucius Malfoy had Arthur Weasley convinced that his son would be the same way. Hopefully her father would realize that Draco was nothing like his father and never would be.

* * *

"It's so beautiful here, isn't it?" Rose asked Ginny. The two girls were lying on lawn chairs, sunglasses down and enjoying the sun of Italy.

"Very beautiful," Ginny agreed.

They were the first two to arrive at the team's private villa, and they were taking the time to relax and enjoy the moment.

"It was really sweet of Derek to let you go in his place," Ginny mused, turning to watch Rose's reaction.

"I guess," she sighed. "I think it had more to do with avoiding _you_ and less to do with letting _me_ have a nice vacation." She shrugged. "Doesn't bother me though. Either way, it's still a free vacation."

Ginny grinned. She'd never spent as much time as she'd wanted to with Rose. The girl was soft, quiet, and yet, rather funny; her company wasn't forced but very relaxed and comforting. Ginny was glad that Derek still hadn't grown a backbone and had decided to further avoid her.

"I'm glad, too," Ginny told Rose. "And we even get to room together for a week!"

There was a soft knock on the door, and Ginny sprinted up from her spot before the person had finished knocking. She threw the door open, hoping to see someone in particular…Her face fell; it wasn't Draco.

"Lovely to see you too, Gin," Blaise said smoothly, smirking at her disappointed expression.

"Oh, hey, Blaise." She tried to sound happy but her attempt was in vain. The dark haired Slytherin raised his eyebrows.

"I take it Draco isn't here yet," he murmured knowingly.

Ginny shook her head sadly as Rose approached them.

"Why hello," she said sweetly, subtly flicking her long, chocolate brown hair over her shoulder.

"Hello," Blaise answered, smiling serenely at Rose.

Ginny rolled her eyes. She could already see the two of them sneaking off together for the rest of the week.

"Blaise, Rose," Ginny said lazily, taking up the late introduction. "Rose, Blaise."

Blaise took Rose's hand and kissed it like the suave and charming guy that he was.

"Would you like to take a walk?" he asked, hardly masking the eagerness in his voice.

Rose turned to Ginny, eyes wide. The girl was timid, but she obviously still wanted to go, only afraid of hurting Ginny's feelings as she ditched her.

"Oh, go on." Ginny sighed. The pair didn't need any more persuasion than that; they were out the door, down the hall, and out on the beach before you could say Crumple-Horned Snorkrack. Ginny smiled to herself as she saw Blaise tentatively grab Rose's hand.

Ginny moved to the terrace and watched the odd couple flirt and laugh along the shoreline. She sighed wistfully, mentally scolding Draco for making her wait so long for him, when a pair of strong arms snaked around her waist.

"Hello, love," Draco Malfoy whispered in her ear.

Ginny leaned back into his body and smiled. "Hello," she whispered, trying to hide her surprise and happiness.

"Miss me much?"

"Every day," she told him.

"Good."

Ginny could almost hear the smile in his voice, as she leaned back farther completely leaning into his embrace. They stayed like that for a long time, watching the waves crash onto the beach and listening to the sounds of the sea.

"Can we stay like this forever?" Ginny asked, breathing in the smell of Draco and the sea—a perfect combination; she knew she could breathe in that smell until the world ended.

"With you?" he asked with mock disgust. Ginny nudged him playfully; there were some things about Draco Malfoy that would never change.

"Seriously," Ginny said.

"Seriously?" Draco asked. "Duh, Gin. Of course, I want to stay with you forever."

"Really?" She questioned him again. Something as perfect as this just couldn't be true; she'd always question why he was with her.

"Really."

Draco hugged her tighter, hoping to squeeze out every doubt and uncertainty that harbored inside Ginny. Naturally, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Ginny. He had never met a girl like her before in his entire life; she was perfect.

She was beautiful without knowing it. Unlike people like Pansy, Ginny never flaunted her beauty, a trait that was more seducing than any amount of cleavage Parkinson would _ever _show. Her captivating eyes were enough for Draco to look into for years and years to come. Even now, when he closed his eyes, he could picture Ginny's face perfectly: big, brown eyes, tiny nose, freckles splashed lightly across her cheekbones, full lips, and a heartbreaking smile. Yes, she was perfect.

They spent the rest of the week together, laughing and smiling and having an unnaturally good time. Ginny hardly saw anything of anybody else from her team because she was so involved with Draco. Late at night it was either Ginny or Rose sneaking in late after a romantic evening; it left little time for conversation.

On the last night of Vincitori's dream vacation, Draco and Ginny laid on a beach, gazing up at the stars.

Hands entwined together, Ginny asked, "What do you love most about me?"

It was one of those silly questions young girls in love like to ask. Ginny didn't know what she was hoping to hear, but she asked the question anyway. Draco gave her a funny look, rolling his eyes, but he answered her anyway. He repeated his frequent musings, watching Ginny's smile grow bigger and bigger as he spoke of her lovely hair, beautiful eyes, tempting lips, and overall appeal.

"But what do you love most?" Ginny asked with a giggle.

"Love most? I love every part of you, Gin. You're perfect."

Ginny's smile disappeared.

"I'm not perfect," she said scathingly. Merlin, how she hated that word. Anger from somewhere deep inside her bubbled up to the surface.

"Relax, Ginny; you're overreacting."

"I'm not overreacting!" She practically shouted at him. "I'm _not_ perfect, Draco! And I never will be!"

"Stop being so difficult. Seriously, Gin." Draco looked at her incredulously. What brought on the sudden mood swing?

"It's the truth! I won't always be some pleasantly happy person for you! I'm not calm, and I'm definitely not patient! I just can't do that; it's not who I am." She looked at him seriously, sadness dripping from her words now. "I'm too messed up, Draco—maybe even damaged beyond repair."

She turned away from him and made to get up.

"Gin, what are you talking about?" Draco asked in disbelief, grabbing her hand.

"I shouldn't be with you, Draco," she whispered, as he pulled her around to face him. "I'm not good enough. I mean, look at us! This week has been great, almost perfect." She cringed at the use of the word. "But we'll always fight; we'll never be at peace!"

"Shh, calm down." He coaxed her, trying to slow her breathing. "We will always fight, yes. I've known that." He cupped his hands around her face gently. "But I don't ever want to be with anyone else."

Ginny looked at him, unsure.

"You know, you're right. Maybe you're not so perfect," he told her, "but I wouldn't want you any other way."

"Really?" The insecurity in her voice was shocking.

"Really," Draco replied, smiling. "You're not perfect, and I'm not perfect. And of course we'll fight, but like all those famous philosophers like to say, 'the best things in life are the ones worth fighting for'." He looked at Ginny sweetly. "I want to spend every single day of the rest of my life with you."

Ginny grinned. "I want to spend my life with you too!" She flung her arms around him happily, pressing her lips to his. "I love you," she whispered between kisses.

"I love you too, Ginny," he whispered back.

* * *

Epilogue:

"Ginny, love," a voice called from upstairs.

"Yes?"

"When will they be here?" Draco asked nervously for what must have been the hundredth time.

"Soon!" was all she said.

Draco had been dreading this day for the last week and a half. He and Ginny had been married for nearly a month now and had just returned from a rather lively honeymoon, and in about three minutes, the entire Weasley clan would arrive to see their home.

He ran down the majestic stairs quickly to find his wife lounging on one of the black couches like she had lived there her entire life.

"Stop worrying," Ginny told him. "They'll love it here."

Draco paced around the drawing room, not saying a word. He, himself, loved Malfoy Manor, but he wasn't exactly sure how Ginny's family would respond to it.

"They'll love it," she repeated.

The bell rang, and one of the house elves rushed to open the door for the guests. Popping up from her place on the couch, Ginny rushed to meet her family.

"Oh, Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley shouted immediately, hugging her only daughter tightly to her chest. "Oh, it's so good to see you, my love!"

A chorus of 'Ginny' came from her brothers, as the mass of red hair crowded around her. Hermione was there with them, having married Ron only months before Ginny married Draco. The brunette hugged her a long time.

"It's so good to see you," she said warmly. The house elf took all their coats and scarves, a fact that made Hermione frown, but she didn't say a word.

They talked and chatted for a few minutes, greeting each other while Draco stood awkwardly to the side. Even though the Weasleys had accepted him into their family, things were still uncomfortable between them. Ginny noticed immediately that Harry wasn't there. He spent so much time with the Weasley family that she thought he would know that the invitation had been extended to him too. Or maybe he didn't come for a different reason entirely…

"Err, welcome to out home," he offered. They all quieted, turning their attention to Draco.

"It's nice to see you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said as sweetly as she could. She hugged him briefly. "And where is your mother?"

"On holiday."

"Oh," she mused, "what a shame."

Silence.

"Well," Ginny interjected, "why don't you all have a look around?" She smiled at her family encouragingly, as they all split off into pairs to investigate the premises. The twins sprinted up the stairs, Hermione and Ron went to the kitchen, her parents went to view the lounge, and everyone else idled down hallways and through rooms.

"See? This isn't so bad," Ginny said, wrapping her arms around Draco's waist.

He groaned. "Not yet anyway."

"Oh, you worry too much." She laughed happily, planting a kiss on her husband's cheek. A crash from upstairs made Ginny grin even more. "I better see what those two are up to."

Draco watched his lovely wife run up the stairs already warning her older brothers that if they had broken anything, then they would have to pay for it. Her hair bounced wildly, and he couldn't help but smile.

Yes, it would be a long and uncomfortable evening. Yes, it would take time for him to get used to her family and vice versa. And yes, there would be fighting and tears.

But it would all be worth it. He smiled, hearing Ginny's voice carry throughout the entire house.

Yes, it would be _more_ than worth it.

He would give anything to spend a lifetime with Ginny, and that's exactly what he was prepared to do.

* * *

**A/N: **Ahhh! It's over! I know—sooo sad! (Sorry, it took a little while) Well, what do you think? Too mushy or clichéd? Hmm…I'd love to hear your input sooo **READ** and **REVIEW**!

Oh, and I also wrote a one shot in the last week or so called Wishes, and I really think you should read it! It's my first attempt at happy fluff, so tell me if you like it or if it's complete crap or whatever…haha.

Erm…that's all! Keep your eyes peeled for updates on my other story or new stuff being posted because I really loved all your suggestions!

Adios!


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